Distrust
by Demonic Insanity
Summary: What if Naruto grew up, well, normal? If he got beaten up all the time, what if he didn't become the happy-go-lucky guy we know in the anime and manga? What if he never trusted anyone, even the Hokage? Well, that's exactly what happens here. It follows canon for now, but if the story demands it, it will go on its own unique path. Rated M for content. No Lemons!
1. Beginning

So yeah, I know. If you guys are following me, you probably weren't wanting another fanfic to come out and wanted me to finish one of my other ones first. Well, first, I'm not sure I can. I mean, UN: Armor Mode and Dark Annihilator were two stories that I started writing quite a while ago. Everything has changed since then, so I'm not even sure I would even know where my stories had left off or how to continue them. With Corrupted Justice, well, I think that was a bit of a fail at an attempt to recreate how I wrote, but bleh, it no work.

Secondly, I don't really want to. And, I know that sounds bad, but I just don't have the inspiration to write those stories anymore. The reason I wrote those stories was to release my imagination onto a community so that I would be able to exercise my mind in that way. But, I no longer needed to after a while, and it felt more like work than fun.

So, I'm changing it up. I don't want a fanfic that is just fun to read. I want my fanfic to be like the ones I love on the site, captivating. So, this fanfic may sound waaaay different than the ones that I have written so far, but if you don't like it, well, the x button is up there somewhere. And, it will follow the canon up to a certain point. If I feel like the characters in this fanfic universe want to lead it away from the canon plot, then I will do so.

One note: I will be skipping quite a bit in the first part of this story because, sometimes, the story follows the canon, and I just don't want to inaccurately and inadequately describe what people could watch or read in the Naruto anime/manga. So, if it says CANON BREAK, it means I'm skipping ahead in time due to it being similar to canon. Got it?

So, let's get started!

Distrust Chapter 1: START!

Don't trust anybody. Naruto learned that at a very young age. Even if they bring smiles and treats, do not trust them. Actually, those who bring smiles and treats are the most untrustworthy. Naruto preferred it when the villages came with pitchforks and knives, screaming at him. At least, there was no deception there.

The Hokage seems to be fine, but then again, that makes it worse. Naruto has pulled prank after prank, distracting the elder from his duties, but he still has not raised a hand against him or attempted to kill him in any way. Why? Why be patient with him? It makes no sense for anybody to have that much patience out of their nature alone. There must be a reason why the Hokage won't lay a hand on him. And why not kill him? The Hokage would get so much support from the same villagers trying to murder him and be really popular. It made no sense, but at the very least, he could rely on his possibly deceptive generosity until he could find out the reason.

Yes, he was a distrustful kid. He planted traps in his room, always made sure that he knew all the exits at all times, always stayed a foot away from everyone and avoided crowds, and he never tried to go buy or get anything by himself. He always came with the Hokage or an ANBU. His milk became spoiled frequently because they were busy, but it was better than being lynched.

So, why at the age of 8 is Naruto in a puddle of his own blood, lying in the shadows of the ones that caused him so much pain if he never trusted anyone? Well, trust isn't really a variable if the beast charges you of its own accord.

He sniffled, tears trickling into his nose. When he saw the shadows of the men disappear around a corner, he tried to get up, but it took all his energy to block all lethal hits. He was tired. So, he lay there.

And then, he began to think.

'_Were my plans so flawed? What do I have to change to make sure it doesn't hurt anymore? Should I just stay in my house all the time? The Hokage should check up on me after a while. If he is actually nice, then he'll check because he's worried. If he isn't, he'll check to see if I'm dead. Either way, I could manage to have him buy everything. Right? And, the house always has those masked ninja… I think it was ANBU or something… watching, so it should be safe.'_

'_But… what if it's not? What if they attack me like they did today? What if they just get angry at me for no reason and the ANBU aren't there?...'_

He started to cry out of frustration. The tears that were originally being held back mostly were flooding out. _'What should I do?'_, he thought, angry and sad that he was running out of options. As he pitied his situation, he heard a deep voice. He would have thought it was one of the villagers if it weren't for two things. One: it was in his head. Two: what he heard didn't seem like a villager.

'_**You disappear.**_'

"Who is that?", Naruto whispered, his voice sore from screaming earlier. Suddenly, he blacked out.

When he woke up, he found himself in a sewer, or at least, it looked like one. The water was extremely shallow for a sewer of Konoha, and he should know; he's been in one when he was running away.

"Did they dump me in a sewer in another village? … Would they even have the motivation to do that?", he wondered to himself.

He began walking in one direction, wanting to get out. But, as he walked, he realized that the sewer he was in was definitely odd. There were rooms that the water lead into, which shouldn't exist. And, there were tons of them. It was more of a prison than a sewer.

"… Did that old man finally show his true nature? I'm surprised. I would have thought the Hokage would kill me once he stopped pretending. Why a prison? And, why am I not in a cell? … Maybe it's a weird prison?", he kept talking to himself. He was saying all these things, but deep down, he was just afraid that he didn't have any of his exit routes here with him. This was unfamiliar territory. What would he do if he was attacked?

He ignored all the rooms and kept walking forward. It was safer to walk in a straight path. If he walked into each room, he might starve or, worse, get lost. But, after a couple minutes, he came across a room that was different from the others. It had this… feel to it. It wanted him in there. He wanted to go in there. It was just so attractive. Not only that, but a dim red light reflected against the water streaked out of the room. No other room so far had a light source that he could see. Maybe this was the way out.

He walked in. It didn't take him long to see a huge cage towering over him. The cage was made out of a wood painted red, shut by a little piece of paper with some kanji or something on it. Besides that, nothing else seemed to close the door. Naruto, although curious, was very distrustful of the cage and decided to ignore it and go back to the hallway. But as he started walking out, he heard:

"**Where are you going? Back into that shitty reality?**"

He stopped in his tracks. It was that voice again, and it seemed to be coming from inside the cage. Although everything that he learned told him to keep distrusting the voice, he walked towards the cage. "Who are you?", he asked.

Two big red eyes and a demonic smile appeared, glowing out of the darkness. Out of fear, Naruto fell back into the water and attempted to crawl away. But then, a red ethereal hand shot out and grabbed Naruto by the ankle. Naruto began to panic and started to thrash, trying to get away.

Then, he woke up. He was back in that puddle, the blood staining his clothes. He breathed out a sigh of relief, but he felt a burning feeling at his ankle. Looking down, a red energy encased his foot and began spreading up. And, before Naruto can react, it suddenly covered his entire body.

Naruto couldn't move. The energy burned. "This sucks." Naruto stopped moving, accepting his fate to die.

Death was much different than he thought. He always thought it felt painful and then a sudden darkness. Everything should be quiet. His body should be going numb. He should be…

Naruto opened his eyes…. "Oh", Naruto said to himself, "I'm still alive".

'_**Of course, you idiot. I was healing you**_', the voice said again.

"… What do you mean?", Naruto said.

'_**Hehehe, well, if you die, I die.**_'

"What? Why?", Naruto responded.

'_**Let's just say that I'm someone you can trust. Our lives are linked. So, I want to help**_', the voice started to give him a headache. It's not every day you hear another person in your head.

"I don't trust anyone", Naruto stated. "Even if you are nice."

'_**Well, that's fine with me. You use that Hokage to your own advantage, even though you don't trust him, right? Do the same for me. I don't really care if you trust me or not**_'.

"… Alright. Fine. What did you mean by disappear?"

'_**Straight to the point, I see. Well, the reason you get beat up is very simple.**_'

"You know why the villagers hate me?"

'_**Maybe, maybe not. You don't trust me, so I see no reason to tell you.**_'

Naruto growled. The voice only laughed in response.

'_**I mean, there is a way to avoid being beaten.**_'

"So, disappear? You mean run away?", Naruto asked.

'_**No, that would put your life in more danger. Look, how good are those ANBU at making sure no one detects them**_'

"Pretty good. I mean, if they are trying to hide from me too, they suck cause I've seen them a few times, but no one else seems to notice them."

'_**Well, first, they appear to make sure everyone knows that you are being protected. If they were never seen, you'd get a lot more hostile knocks on your door.**_'

"Oh."

'_**And secondly, that's what I mean. Disappear. Make your presence undetectable. Become a ninja… And specialize in disappearing.**_'

"Ninja?... And what do you mean specialize?"

''_**sigh' Well, go ask your Hokage in becoming a ninja. Specializing can come later. If you can't do the basics that a ninja can do, there will be no point.**_'

"… How do I know you aren't just leading me into a trap? You seem to know about the Hokage. Maybe asking about being a ninja is a keyword or something."

'_**Fuck, you're distrustful. Well, if things do go bad, you could just jump out the window. I mean, that's one of your escape route, right?**_'

"… How do you know about that?"

'_**Does it matter? You don't trust me anyways, so anything I say could be lies, right?**_'

"… Fine." Naruto stood up out of the puddle. He began to limp to the Hokage tower. He might get some actual medical attention there anyways.

The Hokage sat at his desk, filling out paperwork as usual. He cursed his work. It kept him from his sake, his… completely appropriate books, and Naruto. He sighed. Maybe Naruto will visit him today and give him a chance to rest.

"-no, you demon brat! I said you can't enter the Hokage's office! Especially when you that blood on you! What, did you finally snap and kill someone, you demon?!" A voice screeched from outside.

The Hokage sighed and smiled. Only one person would get that type of response, but it also means that he has to fire another secretary.

"I said to let me in. Unless you want your ass fired, you bitch", Naruto said.

The secretary was furious. "You piece of shit, you really think I'll be fired? I'll be praised for keeping you demon from getting in. Now, GET OUT!", she screamed.

"That's an excellent idea", the Hokage said behind the secretary. "Get out."

The secretary was surprised, but she was overjoyed that the Hokage was agreeing with her… Until she turns to face the Hokage and saw the leader glowering at her in anger. She, in complete fear from the killer intent coming from the Hokage, ran out immediately.

The Hokage watched her back until she left. Then, he sighed. He has to fill out the paper work to fire her and hire a new secretary now. But, right now, Naruto was here. That was the most important part, right now.

"Hey, Naruto", the Hokage said. He attempted to ruffle Naruto's head, but the kid dodged his head and stood at a distance.

'_It seems that Naruto is still distrustful of everyone. He really needs to hang out with people his age and begin to trust other people_', the Hokage thought. "So, did you really need to cuss out the secretary?"

Naruto shrugged. "Would you have let me get hurt?"

"Of course not."

"Then why not? She was a bitch."

The Hokage shook his head, but inside, he was smiling a bit. Naruto was rebellious, but at least, he wasn't broken. Far from it if he could still insult other people. "So what do you want today, Naruto? Besides medical attention. Don't worry. I've called my personal doctor already", asked the Hokage.

Naruto paused and took in a deep breath. He let himself calm down before looking at the Hokage directly at his eyes. The Hokage was almost taken aback at how serious Naruto.

"I want to be a ninja, old man."

(CANON BREAK)

5 Years Later

Naruto sat on the rope swing, sitting and watching the other kids in jealousy. He had failed his Genin exam. "If it wasn't for that stupid **Bunshin** jutsu, I would have been fine", he whispered to himself. He might have to take the class again, but truthfully, he couldn't understand why he couldn't do the **Bunshin** jutsu, so it might be a waste of time.

As he thought this, one of the teachers walked up to him. "Hey, Naruto", said Mizuki.

"What do you want?", Naruto replied harshly. After learning about how to throw kunais and shurikens, learn basic camouflage, and learned the Henge jutsu, Naruto barely got into any beatings. He knew how to deceive his beaters and even misdirect him. Doing so over the years made him more confident. He wasn't afraid to show his distrust with anybody, not just the Hokage.

Mizuki held his hands up. "Whoa, I don't mean any harm. I just wanted to see if you wanted to pass with your class or not."

Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What do you mean? I failed the Genin exam."

Mizuki smiled. "No, you failed the normal Genin exam. There is another one you could do. See, if you manage to steal the scroll in the Hokage Tower and learn a jutsu before you get caught, you can pass that way as well."

'_What a load of bullshit_', thought Naruto. It was clearly a trap.

'_**Well, wait, kit. You might want to do what he says**_', the beast inside him said. Naruto still doesn't know anything about him except that what he said about wanting to help seemed genuine. It may not be because he cared about Naruto, but Naruto could rely on that help for now.

'_Why? Even if I did steal it, he'll probably try to steal it from me or frame me._'

'_**True. But, that scroll he is talking about sounds interesting. From what I've seen, if a scroll is in the Hokage Tower, then it must be a very useful and dangerous scroll. A scroll that you could learn from.**_'

'_I guess. Is it worth the risk though?'_

'_**Yeah. And I told you that we would start specializing once you learned the skills of a ninja.**_'

'_But, I didn't learn the __**Bunshin**__ jutsu._'

'_**You won't need it. It does deceive, but it's only an illusion. Not that useful once it's found out. To me, you have learned all you can from this place. So, we need to start some special training.**_'

'… _Alright._' "Fine, Mizuki-sensei. Which scroll do I need to steal?", Naruto said to his teacher. Mizuki smiled.

Naruto sat on the ground and unfurled the scroll. Stealing it was much easier than he had thought. '_I guess anybody who steals it could be easily tracked. But, old man, you're a bit too confident if you think the scroll doesn't need more guarding because you think you can always find it_', Naruto thought.

'_**Kit, unfurl it all the way. Let me read everything with you. And, you brought some paper and a writing utensil, right?**_'

'_Weren't you watching me from inside when I did?_'

'_**You really think I want to watch your daily life all the time? I rather sleep.**_' Naruto rolled his eyes and began to read.

"Hmm, let's see. First jutsu is… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu… Fuck." Naruto scratched his head in frustration. "I'll just skip that one."

'_**Wait, kit. Look at the description. A fully solid clone that requires a ton of chakra. That sounds useful, unlike the normal Bunshin jutsu.**_'

'_But, I suck at it._', Naruto thought.

'_**Trust me. This'll work.**_'

'… _Do you know why I can't do the Bunshin jutsu?_'

'_**Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Just copy the fucking jutsu down.**_'

Naruto hated the fact that the beast seemed to know so much but gave so little. At the very least, Naruto could trust the beast of not tricking him… at least, not tricking him so obviously.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**… there, written. Next is… nah…. Nope… Hmm, maybe? Hey beast, what about this one?", Naruto said.

'_**Bunshin Daibakuha? Making a Kage Bunshin explode? That does sound useful, though, it's not really suited for our specialization. Write it down, but write a note next to it saying that it's optional. But, actually, the one next to that: Kyoka no Kenshutsu by the Inuzaku Clan. A jutsu that enhances one's sense. That might be necessary in order to deceive others by always knowing where they are. Write that down'**_

Through this process, they had picked out multiple jutsus of other clans and people: **Kiri no Chakra** (Charka Mist: A jutsu that disperses a huge amount of charka, making the user invisible to the Byakugan, Sharingan, and can make one's presence undetectable by other ninja, requires large amounts of charka.), **Choujo no Giso** (Superior Camouflage: A genjutsu that replicates any texture and color of any object in contact, can be used in combination with the **Henge** justu), and **Kaze Bunsan** (Wind Dispersion: Not an actual wind jutsu, it replicates the effects of it. It releases chakra in a way that pushes wind around, messing up scents and other tracks in the wind. If more chakra is added, it can become a powerful force).

"Alright, I think we're running out of time. Last one… Kage jutsus… Does that mean the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**?", Naruto asked.

'… _**No… Kage Bunshins are just a clever name like the Kaze Bunsan. They only replicate something… But… what is that?**_'

"You don't know? Well, let's read the description. Uhhh… Jutsus of the Shadow Style. What's a Shadow Style, beast?"

'_**Shadow Style? That's impossible. There are only 5 styles that jutsus can be: Katon (Fire Style), Suiton (Water Style), Douton (Earth Style), Raiton (Lightning Style), and Futon (Wind Style). What is Intou (Shadow Style)?**_'

"I don't know. Why are you asking me?", Naruto shrugged and looked at the jutsus on the list below the heading. "**Intou: Kageken**, **Intou: Kage Tsume**, **Intou: Sessuru**, **Intou: Tsukisasu**… Why do all these jutsus have the word **Intou** in front of them? Hey, beast?"

'_**It's the jutsu type. The jutsus you have learned so far and written down are jutsus that require only basic chakra, but many jutsus that shinobi use have some type of element. I was going to see if you could find yours later, but this presents an interesting opportunity. Kit, use the first jutsu if you can.**_'

"First one? So, the **Intou: Kageken**? Alright." Naruto read the hand signs and followed the instructions to do the jutsu. It had a few new signs like Oni, Ryuu, Kaijuu, but it also had detailed explanations of each hand sign. Soon enough, Naruto performed the signs and said, "**Intou: Kageken**!"

What happened next scared Naruto, at first. His shadow and the shadows of the nearby trees and shades elongated, stretching to his hand. When it reached palm, it detached itself from any surface and became a blade that didn't touch his palm, but it was very close. "Whoa… That's pretty cool."

'_**And effective. I've never seen this style before, but it seems like as long as there is darkness, you can use the jutsus. Kit, write down every single one of them down. Then, start doing the first one, Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. You need to get that weakness eliminated.**_'

"Aww, dammit. Fiiine, doing the lamer jutsu first."

(CANON BREAK)

"And the reason the villagers hate you is because you are the Kyuubi no Kitsune!", shouted Mizuki. He had come to kill Naruto and steal the scroll, but Iruka had interfered. Mizuki, trying to shock Naruto, told him the reason why he was beaten so much. Iruka stood in shock, looking at Naruto, waiting to see his reaction.

Naruto grabbed his head and started screaming. Mizuki smiled. This was exactly what he wanted. Now, he could make a deal and say that he would "help" the demon brat. Things were going perfectl-.

"Which is what I would have done if I was a normal person", Naruto said, giving Mizuki a bored look. "But, I'm not. And truthfully, that information was actually really good. Thanks, sensei, you managed to teach me something after all."

Mizuki and Iruka stared at Naruto in disbelief. He was fine? Mizuki growled. "Well, if that failed, only one option", he said, grabbing the Fuma Shuriken on his back. Naruto saw this and got ready to dodge. Mizuki threw the huge shuriken at Naruto.

Naruto was then pushed down by Iruka, the shuriken embedding into his back. Iruka, gritted his teeth in pain and blood trickled out of his mouth. Naruto, this time, was in disbelief. "Iruka-sensei… why did you save me?"

"Hehe… Because you are one of my students, Naruto", Iruka responded weakly. Naruto's eyes widened. "Truthfully, I used to hate you. I really did. The Kyuubi killed my parents, and when I saw you, I thought you were just the Kyuubi in disguise." Iruka smiled. "But you're not. Naruto, got it? You're not the Kyuubi. You're one of my students, and as long as that is true, it's my responsibility to protect you."

Mizuki laughed. "Ha! Protecting the demon, Iruka? Even after he killed your parents? Well, whatever, both of you can join your parents in the afterlife!" Taking out another Fuma Shuriken, he threw the shuriken at the pair. Iruka closed his eyes, waiting for the end, but then, Naruto suddenly pushed Iruka out of the way with surprising force and moved both of them out of the way. Then, Naruto ran into the forest.

"See, Iruka?! The demon abandoned you. He ran so fast and left you behind." Mizuki grinned triumphantly, until he saw a glimpse of orange. Naruto was jumping directly at Mizuki. "Stupid kid, you should've have run!" He threw kunai at Naruto. Naruto, being in the air, couldn't dodge and was hit directly by the weapons.

"Naruto!", Iruka shouted. But then, Naruto went poof. His eyes widened in surprise. Mizuki, realizing he was tricked, began to comb the forest with his eyes, looking for Naruto.

"Where are you looking at, sensei?", he heard behind him. Before he could react, two Naruto's had grabbed onto his limbs, holding him down. The real Naruto stood behind him, making hand signs.

'_Shadow Clones?!_', Iruka and Mizuki both thought. Naruto finished his hand signs and said, "I can deal with you hurting me. I can deal with you tricking me. But, you hurt someone who genuinely put his life on the line for me. That's unforgiveable." Mizuki's shadow elongated to Naruto's hand and created a blade. Neither Iruka nor Mizuki could see because Naruto was hidden behind Mizuki's back.

"For your corruption, I will kill you with your corruption. Darkness represents chaos; chaos represents corruption", Naruto began almost chanting.

"W-What? What are you saying, demon?!", Mizuki said, terrified.

"I'm saying", said Naruto,

"I'm killing you with your own shadow."

AND THAT'S IT! Hopefully, this was a good intro to what I want to do for this story. I will write the second chapter right after this one is uploaded, so you guys should see the next one soon… hopefully.

Thanks for reading! And, remember to review, even if it is just a comment.


	2. Ritual

Holy shit. I was not expecting that much support. Well, thanks, everyone. I hope this story shall not disappoint.

Well, let's just get started!

Distrust Chapter 2

Naruto lied in his bed. His new headband that he got from Iruka-sensei was in his hand. He couldn't believe he actually passed. Since he took down a Chunin-level traitor, Iruka decided that Naruto was more than qualified to be a Genin. That, and he did make a Bunshin finally.

It was weird though. It wasn't in the descriptions themselves, but the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** had a weird quality to it. Naruto remembered being hit by kunai and latching onto Mizuki's limbs, but it was his clone that did it. He got the memories of the clones, but he's never heard of a Bunshin doing that. So, the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** must be special in that respect.

And as he thought, he remembered the **Kageken** jutsu. How the shadow wrapped itself around his arm and created a blade. He had written everything down into his notebook about it, but he was just mindlessly copying it down. He only read the ones he discussed with the Kyuubi.

Speaking of which, '_Hey, beast, do you want me to keep calling you beast or Kyuubi?_', Naruto thought, asking his prisoner a question.

'_**Whichever you want. Kyuubi just means 9 Tails, and truthfully, that isn't a much better title than beast**_', the Kyuubi responded.

'_Title? Do you have a name then?_', Naruto asked.

'_**Yeah, but I'm not telling a weakling like you. Come back to me when you get fight a Bijuu like me hand to hand, and then, we'll talk.**_'

Naruto shook his head and smiled. On one hand, the Kyuubi is still being a dick, but on the other hand, nothing's really changed. He still can rely on his help, and since he knows that the Kyuubi is inside of him against his own will, the Kyuubi's goals are a lot clearer.

Looking at the headband again, he just couldn't believe things have gone so well. If it wasn't for those jutsus in the scroll…

'_What about the other jutsus then? Should I take a look?_'

'_**You probably should. At the moment, a few Kage Bunshin and the Kageken wouldn't do you much good against a higher-level enemy. And if you are to disappear, you might have to assassinate some people**_', the Kyuubi responded.

'_Yeah, I know. Comes with the job of being a ninja._' Naruto picked up his notebook and began reading the jutsus inside. "Well, like I said before, a lot of these jutsus seem to be weapons or creating a barrier or attack."

'_**Standard for any elemental style.**_'

"The only thing that's a bit different, I think, is these ones. They have a prerequisite. Uhh, must perform the **Kagegan** ritual."

'_**Hmm, the ritual consists of dropping a ball of shadow into your own shadow at exactly midnight where the only the moon gives you light, so no artificial lights allowed, and requires a lot of chakra. The ball of shadow is an orb that consists of dust, blood, toxins of any kind but the stronger the better, and the crushed remains of any animal to solidfy the orb. Then-**_'

"Fuck", said Naruto. "This is going to take a while."

'_**Yeah, but what jutsus could you use if you did?**_"

"Well, uhhh, I could use **Intou: Habikoru **(Shadow Style: Infestation, to infest one's body with the shadows. Can be used along with the **Kageken** for lethal results), **Intou: Kisei no Habikoru **(Shadow Style: Parasitic Infestation, like it's counterpart, but it absorbs chakra that can aid in healing and jutsus), **Intou: Kyofu no Genkaku** (Shadow Style: Illusion of Fear, a genjutsu that brings to life their most fearful nightmares), **Intou: Kyoufu no Zaiaku** (Shadow Style: Illusion of Sin, a genjutsu that releases their binds and forces them to listen to their most corrupt desires), and…."

'_**Intou: Warugi **_(Shadow Style: Distrust, forces one to forget all trust connections)_**. That is quite the ironic jutsu. One who distrusts that makes other distrust…. Kit, I think the orb is worth it.**_'

"Yeah, I think so too."

After he collected the ingredients, getting the animal corpse from the rat that was bothering him anways cause he kept eating all his food, the toxins from the remaining drainer that had solidified because of who knows what, some rat poison that never worked, and some of the spoiled milk, and created the orb. Surprisingly, it stuck together well until he had a orb that smelled horrible and was red, white, and black.

"This has to be the most disgusting thing I have ever done."

'_**Worse than scavenging food from the dumpsters?**_"

"100 times worse." Naruto took in a deep breath away from the orb, stood in the moonlight that came in through the window, and made sure all other lights were off. It was kind of creepy, almost as if he was doing a witch's ritual.

He looked at the time: 11:59. Just made it in time. When the clock reached midnight, Naruto turned to look at his shadow and dropped the orb in it.

Naruto, expecting the orb to smack his floor, let his jaw drop when the orb sank into the floor, or more like his shadow. And if his jaw could drop any further, it would because his shadow began to shift around, as if it was trying to actually move.

Suddenly, black-red eyes appeared in his shadow where his eyes would be. Naruto fell back, reflexively trying to get away from the threat. But, when he looked at his shadow again, it was back to normal. "That… was horrible. What the hell was that?"

'_**What do you mean by horrible? The orb sinking into your shadow is also something I've never seen before, but besides that, it wasn't too bad.**_'

"Wait… you didn't see the eyes?"

'_**What eyes? Is someone here?**_'

"N-No, just never mind. I must have been seeing things then." Naruto stood up and picked up his notebook. "So, which one should I try mastering first? Maybe I should stick with the easier ones? Or maybe I should try the special ones I just unlocked?"

'_**Kit, you could just master all of them.**_'

"Are you serious? No, I can't. It's midnight, and I have to be at the Academy by 9. If I try my best, I could master one, but it would be like 2 AM by then.", Naruto complained.

'_**Stupid brat, I mean, with the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. It doesn't look like the jutsus need your body specifically. It just needs a shadow, which your Kage Bunshins can produce. And, you could get all the memories later.**_'

"Ohhh yeahh… Sorry about that."

Naruto walked into class, bags under his eyes. No one told him that having a few hours of memories from about 20 clones all flooding into your head would knock you unconscious. He slept on the floor last night, and he still has a headache from the memories. Today was just not his perfect day, although, he's never had one.

"Hey failure! What are you doing in this class? Graduates only!", yelled one of the kids. The entire class faced Naruto, wondering what he was doing here. Naruto, not wanting to dignify the guy with an answer, just held up his headband. It seemed to satisfy most of the class, although some were talking about how he stole a headband from someone else.

"I mean, he is really creepy after all", whispered one of the girls.

"Yeah, who knows? Maybe he's a killer.", whispered one of the guys. Naruto wanted to laugh since he technically did kill Mizuki with his **Kageken**, which did indeed lead to his headband.

He sat down in a random seat. Looking at his row, he noticed Uchiha Sasuke. IF he could trust anybody at all, Sasuke would probably be the first one to go to. He wasn't a deceptive person. He knew what he wanted and tried to make everyone know that. Tried is the important word there because none of his fangirls seem to realize he isn't interested in any of them. Sasuke doesn't seem to care that much about him either, which wasn't that bad.

Sasuke grunted, as if to acknowledge his existence, and Naruto nodded back in return. That was pretty much all the communication these two had, and they were fine with it.

Then, like every morning, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino came running in. They always try to sit next to Sasuke first, which made no sense since they could sit at either side of him.

Unless of course, someone was already sitting on one side. "Naruto, move. I want to sit next to Sasuke", said Sakura. Naruto just turned towards her, looked at her eyes, and the snuggled into his arms and seemed to fall asleep.

"Naruto? Naruto!", both of them began screaming. But, he kept sitting there. Iruka soon walked in and ordered the class to sit down. After a few rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Sakura got the privilege to sit at the other side of Sasuke while Ino had to settle for the seat behind him.

(CANON BREAK FOR THE TEAMS UP TO TEAM 7)

"And Team 7 consists of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura"

"Shannaro! Take that, Ino-pig!", yelled Sakura.

"-and Uzumaki Naruto. Your sensei will be Hatake Kakashi. Team 8 will be-"

Sakura didn't really care that much about Naruto. He was annoying, but that didn't trump her happiness that she got placed on the same team as her beloved Sasuke. And, Naruto didn't really care. At least, he had some honest people on his team: a brooding emo that would kill you if that's what he wanted and a fangirl that only cares about fangirling. Sasuke was a little grumpy that he got a weak fangirl on his team, but the cast of the die can't be argued. It sucked, since he preferred the Hyuga, but oh well.

(Two Hours Later)

All of the other students besides the ones of Team 7 had met their sensei and left. Team 7's sensei hadn't even sent a message. To say that Team 7 was furious would be an understatement.

The door opened, and a man with gray-spiky hair popped his head in with a nonchalant look on his face. "First things first, I don't like any of you. Meet me on the roof." The door then closed, which gave the signal for Sakura to start screaming about how it wasn't fair that they got this kind of sensei. Sasuke, although pissed, didn't seem to care much and started walking up. Sakura, seeing her crush go, followed after him.

Naruto was angry, but he was also curious. Something wasn't right. After all, a team and their sensei usually have tons of missions together, but this guy didn't seem to care. '_He must be planning something._'

They all got up there, and the students sat down on the stairs that lead to the fence, overlooking the Academy. Kakashi cleared his voice and said, "Alright, let's introduce ourselves. Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dream for the future."

Sakura raised her hand. "Sensei, why don't you go first to show us?"

Kakashi shrugged and took out an orange book. While reading it, he said, "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have likes and dislikes. My hobbies aren't for ears belonging to people under the age of 18. And, I have no dream for the future. Your turn, Pinky."

'_We only learned his name_', thought everyone. Sakura, fuming a bit from being called Pinky said, "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like", she looked over to Sasuke and blushed, "I hate Ino-pig! My hobbies are", again she looked at Sasuke, "And my dream is", this time she squealed when looking at Sasuke.

'_A fangirl. Great_', thought Kakashi. Your turn.", he pointed at Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like much, and I dislike a lot of things. I don't have any hobbies. My dream is to kill a certain someone." Sakura fawned over how "cool" her Sasuke-kun was being.

'_And a brooding avenger. This team is turning out nicely_', he thought sarcastically. "And, you blondie."

Naruto, who didn't seem to care much, looked up and began, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like food, water, and shelter. I dislike everything else pretty much. I don't really have any hobbies, though I did start training recently."

"You can't train enough to be as strong as Sasuke-kun!", Sakura bragged. Sasuke smirked, but in reality, although it was true, he found her so annoying. Naruto just rolled his eyes and continued.

"My dream… I don't know. I never thought about it before. I guess my dream would be…" Naruto remembered what the Kyuubi said to him a long time ago.

"It would be to learn how to disappear."

Kakashi's eyebrows raised at this. '_Disappear? What does he mean?... Does he plan on leaving the village or committing suicide?... No, those two aren't something you learn like the way he seems to imply. Maybe he wants to learn how to hide his presence like a ninja should? If that's the case, I might have at least one good student on this team._'

"Well, this team might be able to pass the true Genin exam tomorrow.", Kakashi said. All the student's eyes widened in disbelief.

Sakura raised her hand again. "Sensei, what do you mean true Genin exam?"

Kakashi smiled (or did that weird eye smile thing). "The Genin exam you guys took was an exam to weed out students without the potential to become Genin at all. But, there's one more test to see if you guys can actually be Genin." Sakura started to sweat in anxiety. If she fails, she'll be separated from her precious Sasuke-kun. Sasuke seemed calm and confident.

And, Naruto seemed equally calm, but it was as if whether or not he passed didn't matter to him. It confused Kakashi, since from his reports, Naruto barely passed and only passed due to special circumstances, so it should be important.

'_**Hey kit, he's looking your way.**_'

'_He's probably wondering why I'm not freaking out. I mean, I don't really care if I do become ninja since I already got the skills necessary. If I do become ninja, I might get some authority and some cash, but meh, I could just live how I've already lived._'

'_**Still, it might be better to be ninja. Get outside the village and meet or fight other ninjas. It would be a great experience.**_'

'_Maybe. The getting out of the village sounds great at least._'

"Meet me at the Third Training Ground at noon tomorrow. And, don't eat. You'll just puke it back up.", Kakashi said before shunshining away. Sasuke, seeing his sensei leave, stood up to go as well. And of course, Sakura followed after him.

Naruto scoffed at the pink-haired girl's behavior. '_She's so into Sasuke that she never even tried to be a good ninja. The only reason she passed was because she was lucky that she could do the basic jutsus. If we fail the test cause of her, I doubt I'll be able to handle it_.' From over the fence, he could see Sasuke abandon Sakura in front of the school. She looked slightly dejected, but she perked herself up and began walking home. '_I bet she can't even tell if someone is trying to trick her from her lack of observation. Sasuke wants to be left alone, idiot. I bet I could __**Henge**__ into Sasuke and trick her and teach her a few lessons._

"… it" A voice could be heard.

"Huh?", Naruto looked around. Seeing nobody, he asked Kyuubi if he heard the voice as well.

'_**What are you talking about kit? I haven't heard a thing since you stopped ranting about that girl**_.'

"Do it." The voice said again. Naruto, now starting to realize that the Kyuubi hasn't been able to see or hear the same things as him, stayed quiet and tried to listen.

"You're right. If you **Henge** into Sasuke, you could trick her and teach her a few things. You could beat her for being stupid, and she'd probably bounce back. You could tell her lies to make her stop being so annoying." Naruto was perplexed at not only where the voice was coming from, but also on how dark it was.

Because, it seemed to be coming from his own head.

"It sounds great, doesn't it? Picking on a girl that has done nothing to help you when you needed it. And, you wouldn't even get caught, especially if you tied up Sasuke somewhere so that he couldn't interfere."

Naruto had to agree. This was all true, but it was all kind of sick as well. I mean, tying up someone and doing horrible things to others? It was just-

"Oh, good idea. Tying up and doing horrible things. That gives me a great idea."

Naruto knew this was going to a really dark place, and he had an idea on what it might be, but his curiosity gave way.

"Let's rape her!"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and disgust. The Kyuubi, noticing this, asked, '_**What's wrong, kit?**_'

Naruto just shook his head. "It's nothing. I just… nothing."

The Kyuubi growled. Naruto knew that the Kyuubi wouldn't be satisfied with that, but he couldn't hear the voice. It might just be his delusions or an after-effect from the ritual. Either way, he should probably ignore that voice. He took in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried to suppress the voice.

He opened his eyes again, and everything was quiet. He smiled.

"RAPE HER!"

Naruto clutched his head in pain. The Kyuubi, worried now, tried to ask him what was wrong and to tell him what was going on, but Naruto couldn't hear over the pain.

But, soon, the pain stopped. Naruto stopped clutching his head, and he waited for a minute. He could hear the Kyuubi again, but he ignored him until he could confirm that the voice had stopped.

After that minute, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. The Kyuubi was still asking him what was going. Naruto said, "I've been seeing and hearing things ever since we did that ritual. It's not been fun."

'_**Like what?**_'

"I saw red eyes appear in my shadow when we did the ritual, and I just heard a voice suggest to me to do some dark things."

The Kyuubi was silent for a moment. '_**Kit, maybe you should go ask your Hokage about what we found.**_'

Naruto opened his mouth to agree, but he then heard the voice again. "If you tell him, he might forbid you from doing any of the Shadow Style jutsus. You'll be open to beatings again, you know."

Naruto shook his head again. After taking another deep breath, he said, "Nah, I think I managed to control the voice. I barely hear it now."

The Kyuubi growled again, but this time, it sounded like it was resenting grudgingly. Naruto thought thanks in return, and seeing that the sun was starting to set, he started to go back home.

AND IT'S DONE!

I know it got quite dark in this chapter, and I'm sorry to say that it will get quite dark. Not too dark, since I don't write lemons or limes or whatever, so you guys don't need to suffer something like that. But, what's being suggested will be quite bad. So, for the squeamish, I apologize.

BUT! Poll Time!

Well, unlike my other fanfics, this one isn't about romance but friendship:

Who, Sakura or Sasuke, should Naruto be friends with first? And no, there are no other options.

Thanks for reading, and remember to review!


	3. Tests Without Trust

This chapter took a long while. I don't know why, but battle scenes just are hard to put on paper for me. Blegh, but anyways, here you go.

Let's begin the story!

Chapter 3

Naruto walked groggily to the Third Training Field. That voice never made a comeback, but instead, he suffered night terrors that night. Barely getting any good sleep, he tried his best to get to the training field with his eyes closed. If he gets beaten up again, so be it. Maybe he'd get knocked out and be able to sleep in the hospital.

When he got to the training field, he saw both Sasuke and Sakura there. Sasuke looked up to only acknowledge his existence, but he went back to brooding as usual. Sakura noticed Naruto as well, waved hi, and then went immediately back to fangirling over her Sasuke-kun. But when she waved at him, Naruto felt uneasy, waiting for that voice to come back. But, he heard nothing. '_I wonder what happened to that voice?_'

'_**You no longer hear it?**_', asked the Kyuubi. Naruto, internally, shook his head. In a way, he regretted telling the Kyuubi about the voice. He still didn't trust the beast and didn't want him to know anything that wasn't necessary, but since he is stuck in there and can't hear or see the hallucinations, it should be fine.

The new team waited… and waited… and waited. Soon, it was two hours. Both Naruto and Sasuke were silent, but internally, they were ready to kill their sensei once they saw him. Sakura chose the better way to release her pent-up anger by screaming her lungs out.

_Poof_. Kakashi appeared in a cloud of smoke. Reading the orange book, he waved at his team, one of the members still screaming now at him.

'_I have serious doubts about the members on my team._', Naruto thought. '_The only one I could maybe rely on is Sasuke. But, he's an emo brooder, so his emotions might get in the way. Sakura is not only weak, but she's loud as hell. Aren't ninjas supposed to be masters as disappearing?_'

'_**Well, that's one of their specialties. That's why I told you to be here. There are also med-nins whose jobs are specializing in healing jutsus, strike ninjas who are specialized in attacking or defending the village, and scholarly nins who study jutsus and chakra, increasing the village's knowledge base. Some specialize in multiple fields.**_', the Kyuubi explained.

Naruto shook his head. '_And what field does this girl think she'll get into?_

'_**Kit, remember, not all of the ninjas you'll be training with have a tragic backstory to drive them. This girl probably is only in it for that guy.**_'

Naruto sighed. '_So we got a female ninja that can't ninja and a sensei who not only is blunt and obscure but also late as hell all the time. This sucks._'

During this thought process, Sakura had calmed down and Kakashi began explaining the test. (CANON BREAK for the test explantion).

"So, whoever doesn't get a bell is sent back to the Academy. Got it?", Kakashi asked. The genin nodded their heads. "All right. Then, test START!"

All three students disappeared into the forest. Kakashi returned to reading his book while detecting his students. '_Well, all three seem to be able to hide their physical presences. So, at least, they're trying to be ninjas_', he thought. '_Sakura is under that bush. Sasuke is in the tree. Naruto… is that chakra? Performing a jutsu from there? What's he planning?_'

Naruto finished his hand signs. Kakashi was watching very calmly, but his eyes widened when he suddenly detected a huge amount of chakra. It seemed to be coming closer, but it's almost as if it was dispersed. '_**Kiri no Chakra**__? When did that kid learn that?_' Sasuke and Sakura seemed to not notice it since they are not at the level where they can detect the chakra in the air, but Kakashi felt the heavy air settle on him. He couldn't detect Naruto anymore by his chakra.

Kakashi calmed down. '_If he moves, I can still detect him. Still, that's impressive._'

Suddenly, a barrage of shuriken slammed into his body. Nearby, Sasuke grinned, celebrating his victory, until he heard a poof and saw a log destroyed by his attack instead. Growling in anger, he moved positions, looking for his gray-haired sensei. When he found him in another part of the field, he immediately went for the direct attack. Without moving his eyes from the book, Kakashi blocked every single attack, dodging the Genin's attempts to steal a bell. Out of ideas and extremely frustrated, Sasuke went for his next option. He began performing signs for his signature fire jutsu.

Kakashi looked up a bit, slightly interested in the youth's technique. '_Already mastered __**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**__? Impressive, but if he seriously thinks he can hit me with that-_' Kakashi's eyes widened in realization. The area was covered in chakra, which isn't a problem, but what if it was wind-element chakra? Before Sasuke could finish, Kakashi shunshined away. Because he was too fast, Sasuke didn't notice that his sensei was no longer in his sights and performed his jutsu.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!", he shouted. He started to breath out a big ball of fire, but it suddenly expanded in size and speed, creating fiery havoc in front of him and even incinerating a bunch of trees. His eyes widened in surprise. "Whoa… I didn't think my jutsu was that powerful."

"It isn't", Kakashi said as he appeared behind Sasuke. "You have Naruto to thank for that."

Sasuke, caught off guard, sloppily swung behind him to hit his sensei, but Kakashi caught his fists. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and asked, "What do you mean thanking Naruto?"

Kakashi looked around lazily. "You might not be able to detect it yet, but Naruto's chakra is everywhere. He performed a jutsu that makes it impossible to find him through chakra detection methods alone. And, I believe his chakra is at least wind-elemental aligned." He looked back at Sasuke. "Wind plus fire equals huge fire when it comes to chakra."

Sasuke was confused. Naruto had always been quiet and never tried to make friends. That's why he got along with him well… or at least better than any other person. But, when he attempted the Bunshin portion of the test, he failed horribly. How could someone who failed such basic jutsus succeed in covering a training field in chakra?

Kakashi let go of Sasuke's hands. Sasuke, still deep in thought, was shaken out of them by the sudden change in balance and fell forward. Kakashi turned around and said, "Well, I have two more students to test. Stay right here, alright?" He shunshined away.

Sasuke growled. He still wasn't done fighting. He began to walk in the direction of the starting area when he heard, "I told you to stay" under him. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed his ankles and dragged him down. Sasuke, in surprise, screamed.

Sakura, hearing Sasuke screaming, immediately started to run in the direction of the sound. She eventually came across a river bank. Out of nowhere, a gust of wind blew across her eyes, blinding her temporarily. She felt kind of drowsy for a moment. When the wind stopped, she stood in the field, trying to remember why she was running.

"S-…Sakura", she heard behind her. With a smile on her face, she turned around to greet her crush.

"Sasuke….-kun?" In front of her was the bleeding body of Uchiha Sasuke, reaching out for help.

"Sakura, h-help me. Our sensei is crazy. H-he's going to kill us all….". He fell over. Sakura screamed and then promptly fainted.

Kakashi shook his head. He stood over the sleeping body of his female student. "I didn't think she'd fall for such a simple Genjutsu."

"Well, she really isn't much of a ninja, is she?", said a voice in the forest east to him. Kakashi, looking in that direction, saw Naruto walk out.

"I thought you were hiding", Kakashi said.

"I thought you were going to find me. I was getting bored", Naruto replied.

Kakashi opened his book again and began reading. "Too much effort. Plus, you're the one who needs to attack me. You need the bells, remember?"

"Yeah. I remember." Naruto charged Kakashi.

Kakashi shook his head again. '_I thought at least you might be smart enough to figure out some strategy before attacking._' Naruto began some hand signs. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. '_Oh? So what do you have up your sleeves this time?_' After a few hand signs, it became apparent to Kakashi to what the jutsu was. And, his eyes widened again. '_That's the __**Bunshin Daibakuha Jutsu**__! If that's a clone… shit!_' He remembered his female student lying next to him, grabbed her, and jumped away while throwing some shuriken at him. The clone, finished with its signs, got hit by the shuriken and exploded. Kakashi managed to get out of the blast radius with his student in time.

Another Naruto came out from the forest. Kakashi leered at him. "Are you the real Naruto?"

Naruto shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."

Kakashi, after lying Sakura behind some trees, glared at Naruto. "You almost killed one of your teammates!"

Naruto shrugged again. "Like I said, she's not much of a ninja. She can barely hide or fight. It would have been smart to put her out of commission, right?"

Naruto suddenly got decked in the gut by Kakashi. He flew for a bit, and after landing, grabbed his stomach and proceeded to dry heave. Kakashi stood over him, furious. "You're right. Sakura isn't much of a ninja. The rules themselves may even agree with you. And, those who break the rules are scum." He made sure Naruto could see his eye before continuing. "But, those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum."

Naruto was silent through the whole thing, mostly cause he couldn't breather. But, after standing up, he looked down at the ground. Kakashi relaxed. It seemed the boy got the message. But then suddenly, Naruto looked at his sensei with rage in his eyes. "Comrades?", Naruto asked. "That's not my comrade."

Kakashi was taken aback. "Wha-"

Naruto cut him off. "Comrades are fellow companions you trust. But, I don't trust anybody. The only person I will ever trust is myself!" Naruto began making some hand signs. Kakashi immediately got into a defensive position. He saw hand signs that he didn't recognize, and he really didn't like that.

Naruto finished his signs and shouted, "**Intou: Sessuru**!" His shadow reached out and connected with Kakashi's shadow. Kakashi, for the third time today, widened his eyes in surprise.

'_Isn't this the Nara's signature jutsu?... No, I can still move._', Kakashi thought, moving his fingers to confirm.

Naruto continued making hand signs, more than before as quickly as he could. When he finished, he shouted, "**Intou: Tsukisasu no Kageken**!" Blades of shadow suddenly shot out of Kakashi's shadow and attempted to impale him. Kakashi, noticing this, with his faster reflexes, used the **Kawarimi no Jutsu** to replace himself with a log. When he appeared in a nearby tree, he noticed that his speed was greatly reduced. Had Naruto been any stronger with that jutsu or had he been any weaker, he would have been too slow to dodge that attack.

Kakashi jumped out of the tree to face Naruto again. "You do realize that we are on a team? A team is a group of comrades. We have to work together whether you like it or not."

Naruto shook his head. "Fuck that! You and the other two can go play teammates if you want. I refuse to trust any of you!"

Kakashi was honestly baffled. He knew that Naruto had a horrid past, but this was bordering psychological disorders… No, it did border psychological disorders. Naruto must have developed PTSD at one point without no one noticing. It would explain the trust issues with everyone. "Naruto, you can trust us. We want to be on a team with you."

"Yeah, right. How long do you wait before you backstab someone? Huh?!", Naruto shouted. He refused to listen to anything Kakashi had to say.

At this point, Sasuke had dug himself out and found the duo yelling at each other. Listening to Naruto basically freak out, he was surprised on how similar they were. He wouldn't trust Kakashi-sensei or Sakura if he had the choice either. But, he doesn't. If he wants to kill Itachi, he has to work with them to get stronger.

Sasuke walked out. Naruto, noticing him, jumped back so that he could face both of them without being surprised by the other. Sasuke looked like he had something to say, so Naruto waited, eyes moving back and forth between the two.

Sasuke finally began talking. "Naruto, I understand how you feel."

"Bullshit", Naruto replied.

"No, I really mean it. I wouldn't trust these two if I could help it. I just need their help to kill that certain someone."

Naruto growled. "Well, I don't need either of yours or that sensei's help. I'm fine on my own."

Sasuke was silent for a while, pondering on what to say. When he finally spoke, Naruto's eyes widened, not expecting that.

"Naruto, let's be friends."

Naruto stood there, motionless. Kakashi was surprised himself, but he kept it calm on the exterior. Naruto soon began to laugh. "Are you serious? I won't become comrades with you. I refuse to trust you and let you have my back. Why the hell would I let you be my friend?!"

Sasuke replied, "Because friends don't need to trust each other!"

Naruto was taken aback for a moment. But before he could respond, Sasuke continued. "Friends care about each other and help each other out. It was like that with me and my brother a long time ago. But, friends don't need to trust each other. They need to trust themselves that they want to be friends with the other guy. If both of them trust themselves, then they can be friends. If one of them betrays the other, the one that got hurt has permission to gather up his allies to beat the shit out of the guy."

Naruto was really just confused. He didn't know what to say. "You want to be friends that don't trust each other?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. We are really similar when it comes to trusting people."

Naruto shook his head. "I've never heard of a friendship working like that from what other people talk about. It sounds absurd."

Sasuke smiled. "We're not really normal. You're freaking out cause of trust, and I want to kill someone. An absurd relationship might be for the best."

Naruto just stood there. He seemed stuck, not sure what to do at all. But after a while, he looked up at Sasuke and said, "How do we start?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, from what I heard from Kakashi-sensei when I was fighting him, you have some good jutsus up your sleeve. Why don't we try bonding by getting our bells together?"

Naruto grinned. "Bonding through violence? Not too bad." The two faced Kakashi, who was happy that his team was starting to work together, but he was also a bit let down. '_They need to beat me to be friends? 'sigh' This sounds really troublesome… If only Obito and I had been like that… maybe we would have-_' Kakashi was caught off from his thoughts as Sasuke finished his signs.

"**Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**!" The giant fireball, still aided by the Chakra mist, headed towards Kakashi. Kakashi rapidly went through his hand signs. "**Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu**!" A giant water dragon burst out from the nearby river and slammed into the fireball.

He then noticed multiple Kage Bunshins over his head. Half of them grabbed the ankles of another Kage Bunshin and threw them. The half that was thrown began performing hand signs while the other half performed the other. When they finished, they shouted out their jutsus' names.

The half that threw shouted, "**Kaze Bunsan**", pushing as much chakra as they could into their jutsu, making a huge chakra wind. The wind slammed into the thrown Kage Bunshins, accelerating them towards Kakashi. Kakashi's eyes widened when he realized what was going to happen. He was going to need a Kawarimi again.

The Kage Bunshins that were thrown shouted, "**Bunshin Daibakuha**!" When they hit the ground, they exploded, making an effect similar to a tactical bombing. The real Naruto was with Sasuke, doing his next jutsu. "**Kyoka no Kenshutsu**." His hearing became a hundred times better. He turned to Sasuke and pointed in a direction. "He's over there."

Sasuke nodded and asked, "Can you do that thing Kakashi-sensei was talking about? Spreading your chakra everywhere?"

"Sure.", Naruto performed the **Kiri no Chakra** again. He pushed his hands into the air, dispersing the chakra into the air. After a few moments, Naruto looked over and nodded.

They ran to where Naruto detected Kakashi. When they saw him, he was in the field again, moving slightly every once in a while, making the bells ring. Sasuke looked over and said, "All right. So, let's try and defeat him and tire him out with **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu**. So, go keep him busy while-"

Naruto looked over with a bit of anger. "Waaait, no. We may be friends, but I don't trust you enough to turn my back on you. You distract him." Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but he stopped himself. Naruto was much more distrustful than he was. Even if he argued, he would never go out there and let his back be exposed. Sasuke agreed instead. "Do you have some idea on how to get those bells?", asked Sasuke.

Naruto looked at Kakashi, as if planning, and nodded. "Yeah, I think I might."

Kakashi noticed the duo as soon as they arrived, and he noticed that they seemed to be planning. He was actually quite happy. They were working together, which was the entire point of the test. Now, if only Sakura could join them, this would have worked out perfectly.

Then, Sasuke with a few Kage Bunshins of Naruto jumped out, running towards Kakashi. Kakashi, expecting a barrage of Taijutsu, got ready to defend, but he wasn't expecting Sasuke to jump as high as he could and for the Kage Bunshins to push him farther. When Sasuke was high in the air, he ran through the hand signs and shouted, "**Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu**!" Multiple fire balls headed towards Kakashi. They soon hit the mist of chakra, making them increase in size three-fold. Kakashi, in response, shouted, "**Doton: Sekimori**!" The earth rose around him and eventually formed a barrier. But, unexpectedly, none of the fireballs hit the barrier but around him, creating multiple craters.

When Kakashi lowered the barrier, he saw the Kage Bunshins of Naruto standing around in a circle, performing the unrecognizable hand signs. When they finished, they all shouted, "**Intou: Sessuru**!" Their shadows reached the craters, touching the shadows that were made by them, and eventually grew stronger and connected with Kakashi's shadow. Kakashi, having multiple shadows on him, could barely move. If he really wanted to get out, he could, but he thought that his students should take the win.

Sasuke dropped down. When he landed, he went to get the bells. Touching the connected shadows, he felt a little weakened, but since the shadows and chakra were aimed at Kakashi, he could move freely.

The Naruto still hiding smiled. They had won. As soon as Sasuke takes the bells, he could dispel the clones.

Then: "Why not try **Intou: Tsukisasu no Kageken** now?" Naruto's eyes widened in shock. The voice said, "You thought you could rid of me, didn't you. No, I'm here to stay. But seriously, kill them."

Naruto shook his head as hard as he could. "I can't. One of them is my friend, and the other is my sensei. I can't kill them."

The voice replied, "Your funeral. You won't ever get a chance like this to kill them. If you don't kill them now, they'll backstab you. Why trust them? Why give them the chance?" Eventually, after much effort, Naruto managed to suppress the voice. This time was worse. It tried to appeal to how he felt. That was dirty.

Sasuke grabbed the bells and lifted them up high. Naruto, seeing that, released all of his jutsus. The Kage Bunshin spoofed out of existence, and the shadows connected to Kakashi's shadow disappeared.

'_They worked together perfectly. It seems like they've passed the test_', Kakashi thought. Naruto had jumped down to get his bell when Sakura had come out of the forest. She saw Sasuke holding the two bells, and she was overjoyed until Sasuke threw one of the bells to Naruto.

"Sasuke-kun? Why did you give one to Naruto?", she asked. "I want to be on your team too."

Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other before looking back at Sakura. Kakashi waited for the correct response. If one of them gives up their bell, then-

"Why would we give one to you?", they both asked. Kakashi was surprised, but he didn't show anything on the surface.

Sakura, now with tears in her eyes, said, "But… Sasuke-kun, I know you better than this loner. We could be a great team.:

Sasuke just scoffed at her, who flinched at the disapproving sound. He looked into her eyes and said, "Know me? You seem to misunderstand quite a bit."

"But-"

"But nothing. Even if you did know me better, at least, Naruto can fight. Why would I want to fight with a loser like you?" Naruto nodded along as Sasuke basically crushed Sakura's heart.

The two boys felt a dangerous presence behind them. They both twirled around as quickly as they could, only to find a very angry sensei looking at them. Kakashi asked them, "What are you doing?"

Sasuke, defiantly, said, "What do you mean? We passed the test. She didn't because she was weak." Naruto, however, held his tongue. He believed that Sasuke was right, but something was off. He felt real anger from Kakashi, so if it was an act, it was beyond good. But if he was actually angry, then he needed to be careful.

Kakashi, furious with the boys, grabbed both of them, without them even realizing it, and tied them to the training posts in the middle of the field. Then, he had Sakura sit between them. "None of you have passed the test!", he said forcefully.

"But we got the bells!", Sasuke shouted back, but he shut up after one glare from Kakashi, who then took out a bento and gave it to Sakura.

"You two will stay here and think about how you didn't succeed while Sakura gets to eat." To Sakura, he said, "Do not give any food to either of them, understand?" She nodded, slightly afraid of the emotion that the sensei did not show before. He then poofed away into the forest to keep a watch on them. '_Now, let's see if you two can redeem yourselves._'

Sasuke was fuming, wanting to attack his teacher for yelling at him, even though he had done exactly what he said. He looked over at Naruto and was confused to see that he did not look the same. Naruto looked like he was thinking of something.

'_He didn't look angry at us before. What did we do that changed that? Was it what we said about Sakura? But, she was going off the team, and it was true. I mean, if she was still a teammate, that would be a different story since I would have technically abandoned her, but… Wait…_' Naruto's eyes widened in realization. '_She still is. Kyuubi, how are teams split up usually?_'

'_**From what I've seen, it was always teams of four: one leader plus three subordinates. Even in ANBU, it seems like four is a good number they stick by.**_', the Kyuubi responded, knowing full well where Naruto was going with this.

Naruto nodded. '_I thought so. It would be weird if only us three were on a team… Dammit, we fucked up._' He looked at Sakura, who was meekly eating her food. He sighed. '_There's no way she'll forgive us so easily for insulting her like that. Fuck! There has to be something I can do._' He started to look around at everything, looking for anything.

Sakura had seen Naruto look at her, sigh, then start looking around everywhere. '_Is he hungry?_', she wondered. She looked down at the rest of her food and back at him. '_Should I give him some?_' But, she shook her head. '_No, Kakashi-sensei said I couldn't give them anything, and plus, this way I can get some payback for stealing away my Sasuke-kun._'

She stuck her tongue out at Naruto and said, "I'm not giving you any."

Naruto heard this and was quiet for a moment. For that moment, Sakura thought he was depressed or something, but then he looked back at her and said, "Why not?"

"Huh?", she asked. "What do you mean, why not? Cause Kakashi-sensei said not to."

Naruto then looked at Sasuke. '_Cmon, Sasuke, get the hint._' Sasuke wondered why Naruto was looking at him, but he realized that Sakura had said something that he needed to pay attention to. '_Well, that's what he said to her. So, what am I supposed to get? She's just following the rules._' Sasuke's eyes then opened in realization as well.

He looked at Naruto and said, "We're supposed to have Sakura feed us." Sakura almost spit out her food when she heard that. "What? Sasuke-kun, I mean, I wouldn't mind", she said, blushing a little, "But, sensei said I couldn't."

"He also said that the two people who got a bell would pass and be Genin while the other would be sent back. But, he tied up the two who got a bell, and you're still here.", Sasuke responded.

Sakura seemed to still be in disbelief. Naruto then looked at the both of them. "Both of you, have you ever seen a ninja squad before?" Both of them nodded.

"My brother sometimes would be part of a squad", Sasuke said.

"I saw a few ninja squads walk around before. I was curious about what they looked like", Sakura said.

Naruto then asked them, "Alright, then tell me: how many ninjas are in a squad?"

Both their eyes widened again in realization. They both said "four". Naruto nodded, then looked up at the sky and shouted, "Kakashi-sensei, you can come out now. We're not going to make fun of Sakura anymore! It would be bad teamwork if we did, right?!"

Kakashi poofed back into the spot he originally was in. He looked at Naruto and Sasuke disappointedly. "I would've thought you two would have gotten it during your own display of teamwork."

Sasuke looked down in shame, but Naruto didn't. Kakashi glared at Naruto, who didn't seem to care much. "You disagree?"

Naruto nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean, Sasuke and I got a bell each without Sakura. This test was the thing that was wrong. It only taught us to use our resources."

Kakashi shook his head. "Did you really think I actually lost?"

Naruto looked at him and said, "Yeah, I do."

"I let you win.", Kakashi said.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's why I won."

Naruto looked at Kakashi and said, "You didn't make the test impossible, sensei. Had you did, I would've understood the point since I would've have accepted Sakura's help then."

Kakashi was quiet for a moment and shook his head. He went over and cut the ropes on both of the boys. "You're just making excuses at this point. Since you already worked together with someone, you should have realized that your power on your own wasn't enough."

Naruto then mumbled something that Kakashi and Sakura could only hear. "I managed to not die on my own power so far. It's not like your test was any more dangerous than my own life." Kakashi cringed, remembering that Naruto probably was more stubborn due to it being necessary to live like he did. Sakura, on the other hand, was confused. '_Dangerous? What does he mean by that?_'

Kakashi looked at the three Genin and said, "You guys barely BARELY pass the test. Meet at the Hokage Tower at 9 in the morning for your first missions, understood?"

All of them nodded their heads. Kakashi began walking back to the village. Sasuke followed behind him. Naruto expected Sakura to follow Sasuke, but he was surprised to see her looking at him. "What do you want?"

Sakura, meekly still due to her fear of him, said, "Well, we're on the same team, and I thought we should know each other better and"

Naruto stopped her with his hand raised in the air. "Sorry, I don't do stuff like that."

Sakura was taken aback, but taking a deep breath in, she took up some courage and asked, "Why not? Is it because I'm too weak?"

"No, that has nothing to with it. I just don't trust anybody but myself.", Naruto responded.

"What about Sasuke? You guys worked together, right?", she asked.

Naruto said, "No, I don't trust him either. We're apparently friends now, but we don't have to trust each other."

"… What? How does a friendship work without trust?", Sakura questioned, very confused. Naruto just shrugged his shoulders and began to leave. Sakura began to follow and kept asking questions. "What can I do to make you trust me?"

"Nothing."

"Is there any way at all that can make you tell me anything?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Naruto spun around and looked at her. Sakura was afraid she pissed him off, but he then calmly asked, "Why do you want to know so badly?"

Sakura closed her eyes and took in another deep breath. "Well, I want to be friends with you, too, but I don't know how to have a friendship without trust."

"Why do you want to be friends with me then?"

"Well… we're kinda similar."

"Similar?", Naruto asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, I used to be bullied a lot and didn't have any friends, but my best friend Ino protected me from them. I trust her now a lot because she's been a great friend to me."

"Don't you hate Ino? You always fight over Sasuke with her."

Sakura smiled. "Yeah, well, sometimes, that's what friends do. And, you seem to be in the same situation, so-"

Naruto cut her off. "We are not in the same situation. You didn't have friends because of the other people. I don't have any friends because of me."

Sakura was getting frustrated. She wanted to be friends with Naruto because she felt like they could bond, but she couldn't even start the relationship at all.

"Please, there must be something that I can do to make you my friend."

Naruto opened his mouth to tell her no again, but he then heard that voice again. '_Sorry, but I'm taking over. It's too good of an opportunity. You'll thank me for this later.__' _When Naruto blinked, he suddenly found himself not in control of his body and hearing his voice speak.

"Well, you could tell me a secret that you've never told anybody. If you can trust me that much, I could maybe trust you.", "Naruto" said.

Sakura thought for a moment. "But, I don't have any secrets like that. I tell Ino everything."

"Naruto" then gave a grin that sent chills down Sakura's spine. It was creepy and dangerous-looking. "Well, we could make that secret instead."

"… What do you mean?"

"Naruto" suddenly grabbed Sakura by the arm and pulled her into close proximity.

"Kiss me. If you do that, then I'll maybe trust you."

Naruto was screaming at the voice to leave her and him alone, but it didn't seem like his own voice could get out of his body.

Sakura was quiet for a very long time. Finally, she looked up and said, "Will that make you want to trust me?"

Naruto's eyes widened. She was fine with it? Why? Then, he heard that voice again, with him this time. "Unlike you, I don't need to perform any hand signs to do any of the **Intou** jutsus. I used **Intou: Kyofu no Zaiaku **(Shadow Style: Illusion of Sin) on her. She always wanted a boyfriend that would understand her, and since Sasuke was always alone, she chased after him. I just… made some changes."

"… You're forcing her to like me?!"

The voice laughed. "Hey, at least, I'm not raping her, right? And since she believes that you can be that perfect boyfriend, you can put a little trust in her blind emotion, right? Hehe, humans are sooo easy to trick!" The voice began to laugh hard, as if this gave him pleasure beyond any other means. It probably did.

"Naruto", on the outside still controlled by the voice, smiled creepily again and said, "Yeah, of course."

Sakura took a deep breath again, but this time, it was to calm her nerves instead of calming her fear. She looked up at Naruto and his lips, longingly. "Naruto" bent down to kiss her. The true Naruto inside was still yelling at the voice to stop.

Then, their lips touched.

AND THAT'S CHAPTER THREE. Sorry to end it on a cliffhanger, but it's more fun for me to do it this way. And, if you want to know what each of the jutsus do, then go look at my profile page for a review on the new ones.

I will try and have Chapter 4 out as soon as possible. And, yes, I know that one of the genres is friendship, and it seems kind of bad right now, but we'll get to it, eventually. Just keep reading.

Well, thanks for reading, and remember to review if you have anything you want to ask or comment!


	4. Peek Into Intou

So this chapter is more explanation this time, so if you are here for action and violence, this is the wrong chapter for you. There is a little action, but I promise you that there will be more action later.

But, there is a poll I want to do. Just review your answer.

POLL:

Should Haku be a guy or a girl? And if Haku is a girl, should there be any kind of romantic tension between Naruto and her? THIS DOES NOT MEAN CONFIRMED PAIRING OR HAREM ROUTE.

Well, that's all I wanted to ask. So, without further ado,

Let's Begin Chapter 4!

The Hokage's office was filled with Jounin, giving their reports. They all just finished their tests with the new Genin.

Yuuhi Kurenai stepped forward. "Team 8 passed. They showed great teamwork, although, the Inuzaka was a little hard-headed at first." The Hokage nodded, and she stepped back into the group.

Sarutobi Asuma came up next. "Team 10 passed. Not too surprising, considering their parent's legacy."

A poof was heard next to the group. The Hokage looked over at the late arrival. "Ah, Kakashi, I was wondering when you would arrive."

A voice was heard from the back. "Failed another team, Hatake?" A few snickers could be heard.

Kakashi stood in front of the crowd and said, "Team 7, barely passed. Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto managed to work together, but they almost failed when they attempted to abandon Haruno Sakura." A few gasps were heard and then a deep silence.

The Hokage waited for him to continue, but Kakashi had this look that seemed to say that it was private. He nodded his head to confirm. Kakashi then stood at a corner of the room and waited for the rest to continue, which were all failures.

When the room was emptied, Kakashi stood back in front of the Hokage and continued. "Hokage-sama, what jutsus did Naruto take from the Forbidden Scroll?"

The Hokage raised an eyebrow at this. "The **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu** was what Iruka had reported. That should be it. Why?"

"Naruto performed some jutsus that were A-rank or higher, and some of them were unrecognizable to me", Kakashi said.

"Oh? Like what?", the Hokage asked.

"He used **Kiri no Chakra** and **Bunshin no Daibakuha**."

"I see. What about the jutsus you don't recognize then?"

"Well, it looked like the Nara's trademark jutsus, but they were much different and went by a different name. They even had an elemental style that Naruto kept saying. He kept saying **Intou**."

The Hokage's eyes suddenly widened and stood up quickly, knocking over papers and writing utensils off the desk. Kakashi thought, '_I knew it. It wasn't something good._'

The Hokage asked him, "What jutsus of that style did he use?"

Kakashi recalled all the jutsus Naruto had used against him. The Hokage, after hearing all of them sat back down and sighed in relief. "That's good."

Kakashi, confused, asked, "Hokage-sama, what are those jutsus?"

Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure, also is called the Professor due to his vast knowledge of jutsus. He sat down and began to explain what he had learned and why he had sealed them in the scroll.

"Those jutsus were the product of many things. Orochimaru had wanted to copy the Nara's jutsus for himself, but he failed to replicate it without the clan's secrets. The notes were abandoned until someone had picked up the notes, finished them, and gave them to a ninja.", he began.

"Who finished them?", Kakashi asked.

Sarutobi was silent for a moment. Kakashi wondered if it was someone famous or dangerous, maybe a missing nin or another Kage?

Sarutobi then looked at Kakashi with an extremely serious face and said, "A demon."

Kakashi's eye widened in surprise. "Do you mean one of the Bijuu?"

"No, I mean actual demon. Youkai, evil spirit, it has a lot of names."

Kakashi's jaw dropped. "Why would a demon take interest in ninjutsu?"

The Hokage shook his head. "It's not ninjutsu that he was interested in it. It was Orochimaru's discovery." He asked, "Do you know how the Nara jutsus work?"

Kakashi replied, "It has to do with manipulating light and dark chakra, correct? (AN: THIS IS ACTUALLY A THING…)"

"Correct. The Nara's jutsus replicate shadows by sending chakra into their shadows and stretching the chakra to another shadow. Like the opposite of getting out of a Genjutsu, it aligns with the opponent's chakra, possessing the body. But, what Orochimaru was trying to discover was how to make actual shadow a weapon. That was what the demon was interested in", Sarutobi explained.

"So, Naruto was using his actual shadow to attack?", Kakashi asked.

"Yes, again, this is correct. But, that's not the issue. If the jutsus Naruto used in the fight against you were all he knows, then he is lucky to avoid the curse of that style."

"Curse?"

Sarutobi stood up and looked outside before continuing. "The demon had given the notes to a 30 year old Genin. He had failed the Chuunin exam again and again. But, due to his limits, he could not pass. The demon offered him power, and he accepted." Sarutobi looked at Kakashi again. "What he didn't tell him was the curse of using those jutsus to the fullest. In order to use your own shadow, your most corrupt side of your personality detaches from you, becoming sentient and can even take over. It usually has the original's welfare in mind, but welfare in that sense is achieving everything they want. The ninja went crazy during the Chuunin exams, and we had to take him out."

Kakashi was just taken aback. He thought Bijuus were the worst of it, but demons now? "So, what about Naruto?"

The Hokage smiled. "To do most of the most powerful yet corrupt jutsus, you must do one of the jutsus called **Intou: Kagegan**. The most basic of jutsus can be used by anybody with any impurity in them. But, the rest can only be donw by that ritual, which makes your corrupt self sentient. So, if Naruto only knows the jutsus you described, then he must have not done the ritual."

"What if he did, Hokage-sama? What jutsus would he have unlocked?", Kakashi asked.

"If he did do the ritual", Sarutobi said, "then a few of his **Intou** jutsus will be corrupt, as I said. It will borderline torture and may even disgust you, Kakashi. It digusted me when I watched the first man do it."

Kakashi almost stepped back in shock. '_Something disgusted the Professor, former teammate of Orochimaru?_' Kakashi stood at salute and said, "Understood, Hokage-sama. I will keep an eye out on Naruto to make sure he did nothing of the sort." He then poofed away, leaving Sarutobi to his thoughts.

Sarutobi sighed. '_Naruto, I really hope you didn't do that ritual._'

'_**Kit, I think you shouldn't have done that ritual.**_', the Kyuubi said.

"Yeah, I know. It sucks.", Naruto retorted, lying on the bed. He and Sakura kissed. A part of him was actually ecstatic. He wanted to jump up and down.

But, he couldn't. The entire reason Sakura likes him now is because of that voice and jutsu. Sakura doesn't truly like him. Her affection just found a new target. It wasn't natural at all.

'_Hehe, what's wrong? Yeah, she didn't like you at first, but she likes you now. Extremely too. It seems she had a huge fucking crush on that other kid._', the voice said. Naruto held his head.

'_**That voice again?**_"

"Yeah, he's more annoying than the guys who knock on my door.", Naruto said. The villagers had stopped trying to knock down his door when Naruto learned how to set traps, but they still slam on the door, screaming insults.

'_Oooh, good idea. Let's murder those bastards, and rape the bitches._'

"Is rape all you think about?"

'_Course not. I think about murder and deception just as much. Rape is just more pleasurable on the physical level._'

Naruto shook his head, hoping that the voice will just shut up. All he's heard since the first time the voice appeared is just corrupt stuff over and over. He sighed and covered his eyes, hoping to forget what had happened today.

But, when everything went dark, the memories of the kiss flooded back. The heart-pounding moment, the anxiety, and the feel of her lips.

"Fuck me.", Naruto whispered. "Fuck everything."

'_I don't get why you're so down about it. You have a girl head-over-heels in love with you. You know what that means, right?_'

"Let me guess, rape?", Naruto sarcastically replied.

'_Wow, someone has to teach you what that word means. No! You have someone you can take advantage of._'

"I don't want to take advantage of a teammate. That gray-haired dog would kick my ass if I did."

'_Aaaaand, someone you can trust._' When Naruto heard that, his heart throbbed a bit. He trained himself to disappear through the Academy and the new jutsus, but a bit of him still craved attention. If Sakura really did love him, then…

"No!", Naruto shouted. "I can't do that to her."

'_It's too late. She's going to do that to you. She's going to trust you, love you, want you near her. Just as you want._' The voice went silent, and after a few minutes, Naruto realized that it was done for a little bit.

He laid there. Even if the voice wasn't there, the thoughts it put into his head swam in his head. After all, what the voice said was true. He wanted attention, and now, he could have attention from someone he knew couldn't be trying to trick him because she was being tricked herself. He could finally have someone with him, to support him.

But… what if she found out? It's one thing to be betrayed by strangers. It's another to be betrayed by someone he trusted. He knew that and avoided trusting people for that reason.

Speaking of trust, Naruto remembered Sasuke's offer. Being friends without trust, could that even work? He never disliked Sasuke because he never tried to be friends or enemies with him. So, the offer seemed appealing, but could he be friends with someone without trusting them eventually? And, the same went for Sasuke. Could humans have that kind of relationship?

He sighed. He had no one to really talk to. This was the problem of not trusting anybody. Unless it was purely academic, he couldn't rely on anybody.

'_Oh well, whatever happens, I'll deal with it. Hopefully, the missions don't allow for too much team bonding._'

'_That cat needs to die._', the three Genin of Team7 thought together. They had just completed a mission to capture a cat, one known to escape ninja frequently.

Naruto looked at both of his team members. In a way, they were bonding… negatively. Naruto gave a little smile. '_This type of bonding, I'm fine with._'

Iruka gave a nod and smiled. "Good job, Team 7. Tora Capture Mission complete. Now, for your next missions-"

Naruto raised his hand. Iruka, noticing this, said, "Yes, Naruto?"

"Iruka-sensei, I think I speak for my entire team, but these missions are stupid. None of these test ninja skills or provide a challenge", Naruto said, leaving out the fact that Tora was probably a good match for them. "I request a higher-level mission for my team."

"Look Naruto," Iruka said, "These missions are for your benefit. You guys aren't ready for higher-level missions yet. Understand?"

"But-" The Hokage cut off Naruto.

"Actually, Iruka, I'd like to send Team 7 on a C-rank mission".

"But, Hokage-sama", Iruka started, but stopped when Sarutobi raised his hand. He looked at Kakashi who understood immediately.

'_He wants me to confirm that Naruto didn't do that ritual. Got it, Hokage-sama._', Kakashi thought.

"Come in, Tazuna-san!", Sarutobi yelled at the door. A drunk barged into the room.

He took one look at the team and started, with a slur, to say, "What is this?! I asked for a professional ninja team as bodyguards. Why are there kids here?! Can duck-ass, pinkie, and bright orange target protect me from a cat, much less other people?"

Sasuke seethed at the insults, and Sakura began yelling insults back until she noticed Naruto's reaction. He wasn't angry like them. He looked almost ashamed.

'_Fuck you, old man. The shop owners won't sell me anything else. Either they hate me, or the villagers force the shops to close on me._', Naruto thought. He did hate the orange wear, but, and this was the sad part, it was better than anything else he had.

"Hey, old geezer! Naruto looks good in orange clothing!", Sakura shouted. Everyone besides Tazuna and Naruto looked at Sakura in disbelief. '_Is she defending Naruto?_', everyone thought.

She continued. "He could beat any bandits' and your ass, even if he wears something that makes him really noticeable. You know why he wears orange? Because he's confident. He doesn't need to camouflage clothing to complete your request!"

Everyone who was surprised by Sakura's reaction had their jaws on the floor by the end of the rant. Tazuna was surprised by the outbreak as well, but it was more of how strongly she defended her teammate.

He cleared his throat and looked at Sarutobi. "They'll be fine then."

Team 7 and Tazuna began walking out of the village. Their mission was to escort Tazuna back to the Wave Village and to protect him as he builds a bridge. But, that wasn't the focus at the moment for Team 7.

Kakashi's and Sasuke's attention were on Sakura. Her behavior wasn't any different. It's just who she was so passionate for now. From what they remember, Sakura was all over Sasuke during the bell test. There wasn't much time to bond during their missions due to the physical labor and boredom, but this was too drastic of a change. Even now, Sakura was looking at Naruto the same way she looked at Sasuke, like he was a piece of chocolate.

Naruto felt uncomfortable. This was way too much attention. He wanted to shirk away and hide behind someone to avoid Sakura's gaze. But, truthfully, it felt good. For someone to care about and want him, it was a much needed change. And, thinking about Sakura, he remembered the insult to his clothing. She said he was confident, and that's why he wore orange clothing, and he kind of was, but he felt sheepish to hear it. Even now, the memory makes him blush a little.

'_**Kit, about your clothing, why don't you buy some in the Wave Village? You brought the money from the geezer, right?**_', the Kyuubi asked.

'_That might be a good idea, though, what should I buy?_', Naruto asked.

The Kyuubi didn't answer this time. '_Why not ask Sakura to help? A girl, especially someone who can make those ninja shorts and shoes look good, probably knows what looks good, right?_', the voice suggested. It sounded good to Naruto and was able to comment on the fact that the voice didn't suggest something bad until it said, '_Plus, you could suggest some clothing options as well, if you know what I mean. Hehehehe._' Naruto rolled his eyes. The voice was annoying, but it was getting a bit one-track. Sex, rape, murder, and repeat. That's all it talks about.

'_**Kit?**_', the Kyuubi asked.

'_The voice suggested something good for once. Be right back._', Naruto said. He walked over to Sakura, getting the attention of those paying attention to the pink-haired girl.

"Hey, Sakura?", Naruto whispered. Sakura's eyes lit up, since her new crush was talking to her.

"Yes, Naruto-kun?", Sakura replied. Naruto cringed at the affection in her voice and the new honorific.

"Well, I kind of want a change in outfits, but I don't know about clothing very much. Do you think you can help?", he asked.

Sakura nodded furiously. "Of course, Naruto-kun. When we get back to Konoha, we could talk about the different styles you want. We have to find the right colors, right brands. Oh! I know this one shop that-"

Naruto cut her off. "Actually, Sakura, do you think we can limit our shopping to the Wave Village?"

"Hmm, why, Naruto-kun?", she asked.

'_Lie. I can make up a good sob story to make her want to do anything to make you feel better._' Naruto internally sighed.

"I… just want to shop somewhere else. A foreign shop is just more appealing.", Naruto replied.

"Oh, okay! I get it. Sometimes, the shops in Konoha can be a bit bland.", Sakura said, cheerfully. Naruto was struggling to avoid falling into her pace, but she was just too… her.

Suddenly, Kakashi was torn apart by chains, linked by gauntlets of two men appeared behind them.

"One down", one of them said. Sakura screamed at the death of her sensei, and Tazuna almost dropped his booze. Almost.

Naruto berated himself as he summoned ten clones. They were on a mission to protect Tazuna from bandits, and he got himself distracted. That went against everything he learned from being beaten by the villagers.

'_Wait, bandits? They have scratched out headbands. They're not bandits._', Naruto thought, as the clones rushed the ninjas. He looked at his remaining teammates. Sakura was rooted to the ground in fear, while Sasuke was struggling to move for the same reason.

'_Tsk, this is why you don't rely on other people. Completely useless._', Naruto thought. The new men began to shred the clones with their claws and chains. The remaining clones attempted to tackle the men, but they were taken out easily, but the smoke from the clones obscured their vision. When the smoke disappeared, Naruto was gone.

"Heh, did that brat run? Leaving his teammates to die so he could survive. Nice teammate you have.", one of the men said. Sakura and Sasuke looked back at where Naruto was and realized that he wasn't there.

"… Naruto-kun? Naruto-kun!", Sakura shouted.

The men laughed. The other man said, "Your boyfriend obviously left you here so that your deaths would benefit you. How hard is that to understand?" He then looked at Sakura and looked at the other man. "Brother, after we kill the bridge-maker and that brat, you think Zabuzza will allow us to take that girl with us?"

The man, unknowing to everyone since he's wearing a mask, grinned. "Good idea. We haven't had any fun ever since that fat pig hired us. We deserve a reward."

The two brothers began to walk towards Sakura. Tazuna, scared, hid behind the two Genin. Sasuke, noticing that he was in danger, charged the men, but he had no chance against the two. They easily knocked him to the side, knocking him out. They laughed, looking at Sakura.

Sakura was conflicted. Fear, disgust, hope that Naruto will come to help, and desperation that Naruto actually left filled her heart. She couldn't move at all.

One of the men suddenly stopped. The other man noticed this when the chain stopped him from moving. He looked back.

Naruto was standing behind them with his hands in a hand seal. His shadow was connected to the man's shadow. He then started some more hand seals. The man detached the chain from his gauntlet and began to charge Naruto, but he was too late. He finished and said, "**Intou: Tsukisasu no Kageken**! (Shadow Style: Impalement of Shadow Blades)"

The shadow suddenly grew blades and shot up. The man screamed for a moment until the blades pierced his lungs, and, eventually, his neck. He twitched for a moment before dying. Naruto released his jutsu, and the body dropped to the ground.

The man looked back, seeing his dead brother. "Meizu!" He looked back, filled with rage, but as he tried to charge, he stopped moving. Naruto's shadow had, again, reached out to his shadow. The man's anger changed quickly to fear. "W-wait. Let's make a deal. Your sensei is dead, and the other male teammate is knocked out. My brother and I have some money.", he tried to negotiate. But, Naruto began to do the next hand signs. The man grew more frantic and continued. "And, you don't need to kill me. I hear the Wave Village is full of food, money, and women. They don't have a ninja academy, so we two could overtake them, and Gato would be fine with that. We could have a lot of fun." Naruto continued his hand signs, calm. Then, the man said, "We could start with your teammate. You couldn't do that with your sensei and other ninja around, right? Right?!"

Naruto finished his hand signs and looked at the man. "You know, you remind me of someone."

"W-who?", the man asked, nervously.

"Someone who refuses to leave me alone and pisses me off.", Naruto said. The man's eyes widened, realizing that he was going to die, and tried to scream for help, but Naruto cut him off. "**Intou: Tsukisasu no Kageken**!" The man died the same way as his brother.

When everything was over, there was a silence that seemed intrusive after the chaos that just occurred. The first one to break that silence was Sakura. She was relieved, but she collapsed, crying. Naruto just stood there. He wasn't sure what to do. He's never had to comfort anybody.

Kakashi came out of the tree and landed next to Naruto. "What a gentleman. You just stand there as a girl cries in front of you."

"Number one", Naruto said, "fuck off. Number two, what does that make you?"

Kakashi smiled. "Your sensei. I have to teach you how to deal with these things."

Sakura had finally noticed that her sensei was next to Naruto. "Kakashi-sensei? You're alive?"

He nodded and walked over to Sasuke. After making sure he was alright, he looked at the man, hiding behind Sakura. "Tazuna-san, mind telling me why the Demon Brothers were after you?"

"Demon Brothers?", Naruto asked.

"They are Chunin-level missing ninja, way above what a C-Rank mission should be dealing with." He turned back to Tazuna. "Not only that, but they mentioned Zabuzza, a jounin-level missing nin. This is an A-Rank mission difficulty. So, do you mind explaining, Tazuna-san?"

(CANON BREAK: EXPLANATION OF HOW GATO TOOK OVER AND FORCED THE WAVE VILLAGE TO POVERTY, MAKING BRIDGE NECESSARY.)

During the explanation, Sasuke had woken up. He was slightly bruised, but that was it. Tazuna fell on his knees and bowed down. "Please! Help my village! Help the Wave. You just have to protect me and my men for a little while. Once the bridge is finished, Gato can't legally oppress us anymore."

Kakashi said, "Well, it's up to my students. If they want to continue, then we'll continue the mission. If not, we're heading back to Konoha." He turned to his students. "So? What do you guys want to do?"

Naruto spoke up first. "I'm going."

Sasuke smirked. "It sounds interesting. Plus, it's unsightly for an Uchiha to abandon a mission. I'm going as well."

Sakura nodded. "If Naruto-kun is going, I'm going as well."

'_Naruto-kun again? Not Sasuke?_', the two male ninjas besides Naruto thought.

"Alright, Tazuna-san. You heard my students. We'll protect you as originally planned.", Kakashi told him.

Tazuna, with tears in his eyes, said, "Thank you."

They talked about the Wave Village as they walked. It was in quite bad shape, and as Tazuna described the stretches of poverty, Sakura and Sasuke were disturbed that people were living so horribly. No food, barely working shelters, and constant abuse. The only thing they had plenty of was water, but soon, they might not have that if Gato takes over. And as they talked, a mist came down, making it hard to see a little.

But, Kakashi and Naruto noticed it immediately. Since Kakashi is trained to sense chakra, this was natural. Naruto, however, noticed the feeling of it. It felt like his **Kiri no Chakra**; it was heavier than it should be, even though it was barely noticeable.

Sasuke suddenly threw a kunai into the bush. A white rabbit jumped out, scared.

"Aww", Sakura said. She approached the rabbit and picked it up. Turning to Sasuke, she yelled, "Sasuke! How could you scare such a cute animal?!"

Kakashi and Sasuke raised an eyebrow to this. Did she just yell at Sasuke? And, Sasuke, not Sasuke-kun?

'_A white rabbit? It's way past winter, so it should have lost its white coat. It must have been raised inside to use for __**Kawarimi no Jutsu**_", Kakashi thought. Letting his awareness grow, he noticed a whirling object behind them at the last second.

"Everyone, DUCK!", he shouted. He grabbed Tazuna and pushed him down. Sasuke immediately hit the ground, while Naruto had to drag Sakura, who was a bit slow with the rabbit, with him. The giant blade passed over their heads harmlessly and lodged itself into a tree. A man landed on the hilt of the blade.

Everyone got up to see the newcomer. The first thing they noticed was the headband of the man, another crossed-out headband like the Demon Brothers. The second thing they noticed was Naruto was gone again.

Kakashi noticed Naruto's **Kiri no Chakra** being used. '_Good reflexes to immediately prepare yourself. Hopefully, he won't be sniffed out._'

"Hatake Kakashi, the man who copied over a 1000 jutsus", the man said. Sasuke's and Sakura's eyes widened at the title.

'_This lazy sensei knows that many jutsus?_', Sasuke thought. He might have gotten a better deal than he thought with this team.

Kakashi looked at the man and pulled out a kunai. "I'm honored that you know my name.

Zabuzza, the Demon of the Mist."

AND, THAT'S THE END!

Remember to review and put in your answer for the poll. Thanks for reading!


	5. Breaking Bonds

This has to be my longest chapter in this fiction yet. Hope you guys enjoy.

By the way, I have a question to you all. The way things are going, and you'll read the part I'm talking about, I think one of the genres will have to be horror, but I'm not exactly sure. What do you guys think? Please tell me either through PM-ing or through a review.

And one other note: One of you guys brought this to my attention, and I thought that I had talked about it last chapter, but maybe not. Basically, some of the jutsus here will not have a translation in parentheses. Why? Because I'll be using them frequently, and it might be more annoying to have parentheses for some jutsus. But, if you do not know what jutsu is what, go to my profile. I wrote the entire list of jutsus, their names, and descriptions so that you can remind yourselves of what is what.

But anways, let's get started!

Distust Chapter 5

Naruto hid in one of the trees nearby. Zabuzza had just used his **Kirigakure no Jutsu** (Hidden Mist Jutsu), attacked Sasuke stealthily, but was just blocked by Kakashi. Then, Kakashi moved his headband that was always over one of his eyes to the right position.

'_A red eye?_', Naruto thought. It seems Sasuke recognized it.

'_**That's the Sharingan. It's a doujutsu that allows users to not only see chakra but copy jutsus.**_', Kyuubi said.

'_So, he can copy my jutsus too if he sees them with his red eye?_', Naruto asked.

'_**He might be able to copy the **_**Kageken**_** and the other basic jutsus, but he shouldn't be able to copy the jutsus that need the **_**Kagegan **_**to do. He shouldn't be able to copy jutsus from bloodlines either.**_'

Then, the huge battle started. Huge water dragons crashed into each other. The two Jounin-level ninjas performed hand signs faster than the eye could see. The two didn't seem human. They even stood on water.

While Naruto was attempting to pick his jaw up from the ground in surprise, he noticed a shuffle in the leaves. It was very subtle, which isn't suspicious in the first place. But…

'_Any animal that decided to stay here after all this must be crazy or stupid.'_, Naruto thought. '_Someone is watching this battle._'

With all of his experience from sneaking away from the villagers, he slowly crept over to the tree that the movement came from. When he got there, he saw someone in a blue coat with a white and red mask.

"Yes, Zabuzza-sama, you got him.", the mysterious person whispered.

'_Zabuzza-sama?_' Naruto looked over the person's shoulder and saw Kakashi in a sphere of water. Another Zabuzza was approaching Sasuke and Sakura. Naruto rolled his eyes. '_For fuck's sake, Kakashi-sensei. You couldn't even protect your students?_'

The Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone) walked towards the two Genin. "Your teammate had the right idea. Knowing what fights to avoid is a good quality of a ninja.", Zabuzza said.

"Sasuke! Sakura! Run away!", Kakashi shouted from inside the sphere.

"But, what about you, sensei?", Sakura shouted back.

"Just leave me. Find Naruto, and get out of here!"

"That won't be necessary, Kakashi-sensei.", Naruto said, as he walked out of the forest. He was holding the unknown person, holding the **Kageken** up to the person's neck with one hand and covering the person's mouth with the other. The mask was in the person's hand. "Zabuzza, I have one of your comrades. Stand down."

The clone stopped. Naruto grinned, until Zabuzza said, "You must be mistaken about something, kid. That's a hunter-nin you have there. They hunt down missing-nins like me."

Naruto clicked his teeth in frustration. He was hoping things were going to go smoothly. '_What was his nickname again? Demon of the Mist? Maybe he'll let his comrade die in order to complete his mission._'

The person grabbed Naruto's hand over his mouth and tore it off. "Zabuzza-sama! Run! It's a trap!", the person shouted.

Naruto growled. He turned the person around to face him and kicked the person in the stomach. After sending him or her flying into a tree, stunning them, he blocked the attack from the clone. While he defended, clones of Naruto flew out from the forest. Five of them headed towards to the original Zabuzza holding Kakashi; five of them went to help the original Naruto; and, a few went to grab the mysterious person and made sure he or she couldn't run.

The clones heading to the original Zabuzza started to perform hand signs. Kakashi realized what jutsu they were performing. "Naruto, what are you doing?!"

Zabuzza, realizing something was wrong, grabbed his blade and swung horizontally. Two of the clones were hit, but three of them weaved under the blade. Zabuzza, then, tried to swing back, but he still missed one of the clones. The last surviving clone finished his hand signs and said, "**Bunshin Daibakuha**!"

The clone exploded. Zabuzza was sent flying into the tree. The blade cut above his head, almost decapitating him. Kakashi, however, was only pushed a bit. '_The water acted like a shock absorber. Did Naruto know that?_'

The Mizu Bunshin burst into water. The original and the other 5 clones breathed a sigh of relief. A one-handed Zabuzza who couldn't move was easy to defeat. But, Naruto had to give it his all just to make sure he wasn't slammed by the giant blade.

Kakashi managed to pick himself up from the water and walked over to Zabuzza, who also managed to pick himself up. Both of them were exhausted, one due to lack of breathing and one due to being exploded.

Zabuzza looked over at the mysterious person for a little while, but before Kakashi could stop him, he performed a few hand signs, making more Mizu Bunshins. The Mizu Bunshins attacked Kakashi, letting the original get away.

After Kakashi defeated all of the clones, he walked over to his team, Tazuna, and mystery person. The clones had used some ninja wire to tie up the mystery person. After they succeeded, they poofed out of existence.

Sasuke suddenly grabbed Naruto by the scruff of his jacket. "What were you doing?!", he shouted.

Naruto immediately brushed him off. "I was saving your ass, teme.", he answered back harsly.

"You abandoned us. Why are you not with us when we fight?", Sasuke yelled.

"Come on, Sasuke, Naruto-kun", Sakura said, trying to calm them down. But, it had no effect.

"Right, like I'm going to stay in plain sight of an enemy when my life is in danger.", Naruto said sarcastically. "Why the fuck would I stand out here if my chances of survival are better hiding?"

"Your chances? I thought we were a team!", Sasuke yelled.

"Don't screw with me. You don't give a shit about any of us on the team. We were ready to abandon Sakura during that bell test. If you're going to give an excuse, at least give one that you haven't contradicted within the past month!", Naruto retorted.

"Alright, that's enough.", Kakashi said. But, even his word was ineffective.

"That was before we were actually on a team. The next time Kakashi-sensei can't help, we might be in danger if we don't work together. You can't just run off without telling us anything.", Sasuke said.

Naruto suddenly grabbed Sasuke and threw him to the ground. The shock from hitting the dirt stunned him, making him unable to say anything back to what Naruto said next.

"Danger? Don't give me this teamwork crap. The only reason you want me around is because you're weak. That's why you're freaking out, isn't it? Having your life in danger two times in one day too much for the pretty boy? I'm not your guardian. I have no obligation to keep you two safe. If you can't keep up, then just go and die!"

"Naruto, that's enough!", Kakashi shouted. This time, no one said anything more, but the damage was already done. Kakashi sighed. "Tazuna-san, do you mind leading our way again?"

Tazuna managed to nod. He wasn't faring too well either, but he had expected the danger.

Zabuzza had reached back to the hideout. He grabbed a basket that Haku always kept full of herbs, bandages, and other first-aid items. After cleaning out his wounds, he began to bandage the shallow ones and sewing up the more severe ones.

After he had treated himself, the door opened. Three men walked in: two big, burly men and one very short and stout man. The short man, unlike the other two, was wearing rich clothing and had an air of greed and pride.

The short man chuckled before saying, "So much for the Demon of the Mist? You couldn't take care of an old man?"

Zabuzza put back the items back into the basket. "I'll get them next time, Gato."

"Next time? You think you'll get a next time?", Gato said. "You don't even have that bitch with you anymore. What use do you have anymore?"

The two big men laughed with Gato. Zabuzza stood up and walked towards them. Gato continued. "Our deal is off. I don't need a useless mercenary. Get your stuff and get-"

Zabuzza suddenly rushed the three. He kicked the man on left, sending him flying. Then, he swung his right fist against the right man's temple, knocking him to the ground, unconscious. Then, he picked up Gato by the neck with one hand, who began to flail.

"I may be hurt, but I could still kill all of you.", Zabuzza said menacingly.

"Gah, please, don't kill me!", Gato managed to say.

Zabuzza dropped him. Gato landed on his butt in a quite unrefined manner, but he got up, brushing himself off and tried to be graceful. "Fine. But, the next time you fail, I'll have your head and that bitch for myself." He straightened his clothes and left in a huff. Some other men came in and dragged the two unconscious men out.

Zabuzza went to his bed and laid down. He needed to rest. The wounds weren't serious, but without Haku, it was going to take a while.

'_Haku_' It has been years since they were separated like this. He wondered if his partner in crime was alright.

"I think she's a girl.", Naruto said, looking at the bound captive. They had reached Tazuna's house safely. Tazuna's daughter and grandson were the only ones besides Tazuna living here. The daughter, Tsunami, was very nice, but the grandson, Inari, was rude; the first thing he said was for them to give up because it was hopeless.

"Naruto, get over here.", Kakashi said. "We all need to have a talk."

Naruto grumbled, but he walked over to his team. Tazuna and his family had retired to their rooms for the day, so only the ninjas were awake. They all sat around the dining table. Sasuke sat away from Naruto; Sakura sat next to Naruto, but she looked uncomfortable; Kakashi sat between Sakura and Sasuke.

Kakashi began, "Look, truthfully, I believed that this team should never have been formed. I wanted to send you back to the Academy."

The three Genin began to complain, but Kakashi stopped them. He continued. "Your teamwork is the worst I have ever seen." He looked at Naruto and Sasuke. "If you guys hadn't worked together in the first place, I would've trusted my judgment and sent you back. Why can't you guys work together?"

Sasuke immediately spoke up. "How could we work together if this dobe isn't even there in the first place? He immediately runs into the forest, leaving us."

Naruto scoffed. "Yeah, like I'd want to work with this teme who froze both times against our enemies. Sorry, but I'm not interested in dying any time soon."

"And you think I do?!", yelled Sasuke.

"Calm down", Kakashi said. "Naruto, why won't you work with Sasuke or Sakura?"

Naruto laid on his arm, as if he just didn't care. "Why do you think? These two are too weak. They'll end up dragging me down."

Sasuke tried to argue, but Kakashi again calmed him down. "But, that's the point of a team, Naruto. You have to watch each other backs."

Sasuke spoke. "Or, is that too hard to get into your head, dobe? At least, tell us when you're going to just disappear like that. Don't leave us to fend off ninja while you're safe and-"

Naruto cut him off. "Watch each other's backs, telling you my strategies? Isn't that something you only do with someone you trust?" He glared at Sasuke, who seemed lost in his argument, and then, he continued. "Teme, I don't know why you were alone or why you don't have any friends. But, I'm sure now that whatever the reason is, it isn't the same reason as me. You said that we were the same, and that's why we could be friends, but obviously, we're not. If we were, you would have abandoned Sakura and sensei for the security of the trees like I did."

Naruto stood up over Sasuke before finishing. "We are not friends. I refuse to be friends with someone who is as weak as you are. No, I don't even want to be around someone as weak as you are."

Sasuke, now enraged, stood up as well. But, Kakashi suddenly appeared in between them. "Enough! You two are going to work together as a team, or I will send you back to the Academy. Do you understand?"

Sasuke managed to calm down again and grumble as a yes. Kakashi nodded and looked at Naruto, expecting a similar answer, but he was surprised to hear, "Fine. Send me back. Better than working with them. I already got what I wanted from the Academy, anyways. I can just drop out if you send me back." Naruto then walked out the door.

The three left were shocked. '_What does he mean he got what he wanted?_', Kakashi thought. Sasuke was surprised to hear that answer as well, but soon, he went to being angry. He was insulted multiple times, and now, he might lose the team he got on since they wouldn't have enough members. His goal was much farther away now.

Sakura, on the other hand, seemed just as shocked as if she was thinking of something, but she stood up from her chair as well. "Sensei, I'm going after Naruto." She ran out the door, looking for her crush.

'_Hmm, this may be a problem. The Council won't like their precious Uchiha being prevented from working as a ninja, and if they find out that the reason is Naruto, it would cause an uproar._', Kakashi thought. '_Maybe we need a break away from this and try focusing on bonding before teamwork._'

Outside, Naruto had managed to walk to the lakeside. He wasn't angry. He was just frustrated. '_Why can't people understand that I don't trust them at all?_'

'_**Because you humans are always trusting each other, sometimes, too much too easily.**_', the Kyuubi said. '_**It's quite normal to assume someone of your own species is like you.**_'

Naruto shook his head, almost disappointed in humanity. But, he heard footsteps behind him. He activated his **Kageken** and spun around. '_If someone tries sneaking up to you, charge them!_', Naruto thought. He had learned that stealthy people were always caught off guard when you did. It works until they learn that you might not pose a threat, like the villagers did.

He held up the **Kageken** up to the person's neck. The person almost screamed, but she muffled her voice. Before Naruto could question her, the moonlight made it possible for him to see that it was Sakura. When he realized it was one of his teammates, he sighed and moved the blade away from her neck. "What do you want?", he asked.

Sakura, still trying to recover from the shock, managed to squeak out, "I wanted to ask you a favor, Naruto-kun."

"Favor? What is it?", Naruto asked, confused. He did just chew them out kind of, so he wasn't expecting something as friendly as a favor.

Sakura took in a few breaths. Then, she bowed in front of Naruto and said, "Please, tell me how to get strong."

Naruto was so taken aback by her request that his **Kageken** dissipated. "Strong?", he said, unable to say anything more.

Sakura lifted her head and nodded. "If you don't want to be around someone weak, then I want to be strong."

Naruto was silent. Sakura couldn't see his eyes and wondered what he was thinking about. Finally, Naruto responded. "Why? Why are you chasing after me?"

Sakura blushed. "Well… I mean, you know…" She stammered, her face getting redder by the second. But, she stopped, took in a deep breath again, and looked at Naruto directly in his eyes. The stare was so intense, it made Naruto want to move away from it.

"Because, I love you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's eyes widened a bit, but he soon broke into laughter. Sakura was confused, and a little scared, that Naruto just began laughing. Was her love that funny?

But, the reason Naruto was laughing was because he knew the answer. He knew she loved him, just as much as she used to love Sasuke. That voice inside him used a jutsu on her, making her chase after him, but until he heard her say she loved him, it was just something he didn't want to believe.

'_Kyuubi, and you, voice, she is trustworthy, right? She won't backstab me?_'

The voice and the Kyuubi answered at the same time, since the Kyuubi couldn't hear the voice.

'_Of course. Like I said, you can take full advantage of her, and even use her for your sick desires and pleasures. If you want some ideas, hehehehe._'

'_**I believe in her words, kit. She probably will follow you to the ends of the earth if that was what was required.**_'

Naruto stopped laughing and looked at Sakura, who seemed extremely unsure and meek right now. He realized that his laughing could have been misinterpreted and felt a little bad. He, now, took in a deep breath and said seriously, "Sakura, I have a question."

"Yes, Naruto-kun?", Sakura said, a little more relaxed.

"What if you were being tricked into loving me?", Naruto asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?", Sakura asked.

"Just, what if I could somehow make you fall in love with me, so you never were really in love with me in the first place. What would you do?", Naruto asked. If you listened carefully, you could hear a slight tremble in his voice, but Sakura did not catch it.

She thought hard for a while. It was uncomfortable, the silence. Naruto began to fidget a little, and almost jumped when Sakura spoke.

"I think… I'd still love you."

"… Huh?", Naruto responded. "I'm sorry, what? How could you still love me if it wasn't true love?"

Sakura smiled cutely. "Heehee, cause I feel like you're a good guy, Naruto-kun. Even if I wasn't in love with you at first, I can still love you now. So, although the thought is a little disturbing, I'd still love you."

'_This girl…_', Naruto thought. The other two voices were also chatting in his head, but he couldn't hear them. He was still in shock.

"So Naruto-kun, you never answered my question. Will you help me get stronger?", Sakura asked.

Naruto scratched his head nervously. "I don't know why you're asking me. I mean, Kakashi-sensei probably knows more than I do. All I know how to do is hide and attack from the shadows, but I have a lot of experience doing that."

"Experience?", Sakura asked. But, Naruto shook his head, saying it was nothing.

"Sorry, but I can't teach you anything. I don't think my moves would suit yours.", Sakura looked a little down, but she perked right back up. '_Plus, I'd rather you not get that voice in your head, either._', Naruto thought, with the voice chuckling.

"Alright, Naruto-kun. I understand. I'll ask Kakashi-sensei tomorrow.", she said.

"Well, actually, I was thinking of going clothes shopping tomorrow. And, if you still want to help", Naruto said. Sakura nodded her head immediately.

"Of course! Oh yeah, do you have any outfit or color in mind? Anything at all?", she asked enthusiastically.

"Well, I guess I should be going for stealthy, but truthfully, as long as I can get some new clothes, I don't really mind much."

There was a silence, and they both awkwardly laughed. They decided to walk back to the house for now.

Naruto sat in his bed, thinking of what just happened. He lost a "friend", but he gained a new companion, one that he could trust. It seemed unreal. He never thought that a day would come that he could trust anybody besides himself.

'_And, it's all thanks to me! Maybe you'll listen to me more. Oh! I have a suggestion!_', the voice said.

'_Yeah, right. No. I am grateful for this moment, but what you did was still unforgivable._', Naruto thought.

The voice went quiet, and Naruto just was not sure what to do. How should he talk to her now? Well, he probably should stop being so hostile, but still, a part of him didn't want to trust her. He was still afraid.

As he thought, sleep overtook him, and he fell into dreamland with the pink-haired girl in his mind.

"Alright, we are going to some training.", Kakashi said after they ate breakfast. Sasuke looked determined, and Naruto and Sakura looked at each other, giggling that the opportunity they were talking about came without their input. Kakashi noticed the lighter atmosphere around the two and wondered what happened.

They all went outside and walked into the forest. Kakashi turned around and said, "We're going to do some tree-climbing exercises."

The Genin began to complain, but Kakashi stopped them. "Let me show you what we're going to do." He turned back around to a tree and began walking up it. All of the Genin's eyes bugged out, watching a man disobey the norms.

"Apply chakra to the bottom of your feet and put it against the tree. If you do it right, you'll stick to the tree. If you put too much chakra, however, you'll be pushed off. Too little, and you won't even stick.", Kakashi explained. He reached the first branch and threw down three kunais in front of their feet. "Use that to mark your progress." He then leapt off and seemed to leave.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and glared. He then ran towards the tree. When his foot touches the tree, he slips off. "So, that's not enough."

Naruto calmly walked up to the tree. He tried to get a normal amount of chakra on the bottom of his feet. When his foot came in contact with the bark, the entire base of the tree exploded, and he flew into a tree behind him.

"Naruto-kun!", Sakura screamed. She ran up to him and helped him get up.

"Hehe, sorry, Sakura. It was way too much chakra, I guess." He went back to another tree and tried again, and although it wasn't too severe, the tree still exploded. "Dammit!"

Sasuke managed to get a few steps up and looked over. When he saw Naruto fail, he smirked. '_I'll show you who the weakling is, dobe._'

Sakura helped Naruto get back up again. "Do you need help?", she asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Nah, just go do your thing. I'll figure it out." She seemed reluctant, but she nodded and left to another tree.

Naruto looked at the destruction he caused. '_Why is it so hard?_'

'_**For the same reason you can't do the normal **_**Bunshin**_** jutsu.**_', the Kyuubi said.

'_Why is that? You never did tell me._', Naruto asked.

'_**Because of your chakra pool. Your natural chakra reservoirs are naturally high, but with me, you have monstrous amounts of chakra. That makes your chakra control just naturally bad.**_', he explained.

'_So, what should I do?_'

'_**Practice?**_'

'_Ugh, thanks._' Naruto tried to limit his chakra to the lowest level possible and put his foot on the tree. It almost stuck, but it slipped off. '_Fuck, this is going to be difficult._'

He heard some snickering from Sasuke. He flipped him off and got back up. '_There's no way I can do this at my current level. I'm not even sure how much training I would have to do in order to master this._'

He performed a cross hand sign, and two Kage Bunshins popped on either side of him. "Alright, you two catch me if I go flying, alright?" The two agreed. Naruto ran up a new tree, and again, the trunk exploded. He flew back into the arms of his Kage Bunshins, but the force sent them in different directions. One hit a tree with his head, and the other got impaled into a broken branch; both poofed out of existence. The original just hit the ground.

"Owowowow, fuck. God, alright, I got to be careful. I should probably remove that branch too.", Naruto groaned.

'_**Wait, kit, how did you know about that branch?**_', the Kyuubi asked.

'_Huh? What do you mean? I got stabbed through the stomach by it. What, is your memory getting worse or something?_'

'_**Kit, your Kage Bunshin was the one that got impaled, right? How did you remember that if you weren't the one impaled?**_'

Naruto stood there speechless. It was true. He didn't even look back at that branch before declaring that he was impaled. How did he know that?

'_**I think the memory of your Kage Bunshins pass back to you. If that's the case, we might be able to fix your horrible chakra control sooner than we thought.**_', the Kyuubi said, grinning.

'_I can think of doing some things too if the memories pass on. Like-_', the voice started, but was cut off by Naruto.

'_Don't want to hear it. Kyuubi, what's your idea?_'

Sasuke managed to get a couple of meters up the tree and sliced the tree where he stopped. It was slow, but it was much faster progress than Naruto. He looked over to see more failures, but instead of running up a tree, Naruto summoned twenty Kage Bunshins. All of them began to climb trees. All of them were pushed off the tree immediately due to too much chakra, dissipating 20 of the 21 Narutos. The blonde got back up and summoned twenty more and started the process again.

'_What's he doing?_', Sasuke thought. '_Does he really think Bunshins would help him climb better than I do? Heh._'

Sakura had reached halfway up the tree, but she was winded. She sat on the branch and looked over to see how Naruto was doing, but she was just as confused as Sasuke by the blonde's actions.

The twenty clones dissipated again, but this time, Naruto ran up the tree himself, reaching the first branch easily, higher than Sasuke. Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise then realization when he understood that the Kage Bunshins were helping somehow.

'_I'm not going to fall behind. If you're going to use that jutsu to get better, then I can do it too._', Sasuke thought. He made the cross hand sign, gathered the chakra, and shouted, "**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!".

A moment passed, and a poof appeared next to him, revealing a sickly clone. His eyes couldn't believe what he saw. '_I failed?_ Suddenly, the clone disappeared, and he was hit by an extreme fatigue. Before he could even question what happened, he fell unconscious.

When Naruto and Sakura heard something hit the ground, they stopped their practice and saw the knocked out Sasuke. Kakashi appeared beside him. He checked his vitals and made an "ok" sign towards his other students. He took him and disappeared again.

'_I wondered what happen._', Naruto and Sakura both thought.

Sasuke woke up in a bed. He tried to stand up quickly, but he suddenly felt the fatigue again and dropped back down into his bed. When he stopped struggling, he finally noticed Kakashi standing next to him. He said, "You shouldn't have done that jutsu."

Sasuke, realizing that Kakashi was watching, scoffed. "If that dobe can do it, I can do it too."

"No, you can't. I can't even do what he does.", Kakashi said. Sasuke turned around, eyes wide in surprise.

"Not even you? But, you have the Sharingan and know more than a 1000 jutsus.", Sasuke said.

Kakashi chuckled. "True, but just because I know a 1000 jutsus, it doesn't mean I can perform all of them consecutively."

"I know that. I'm not stupid.", Sasuke replied, offended.

Kakashi sighed. "Look Sasuke, you have to understand that Naruto is unique in that way. Just like how you have the Sharingan due to your genetics, he has a high chakra pool because of his. He has the chakra necessary to continuously use the **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**, which is a forbidden A-Rank jutsu. You don't, and the next time you try using that jutsu, you'll die. Remember that." He turned around and left, leaving Sasuke to his thoughts.

Sasuke gritted his teeth. '_I can't be weaker than him. I have to be strong. I have to beat Itachi no matter what happens._', he thought. '_That dobe has no idea what I've gone through. Whatever he experienced, it is a lesser tragedy than mine._'

Naruto and Sakura walked through the streets of the Wave Village after they finished their training. It was in the evening, and it was depressing. No city should have its poverty so clearly written on the faces of their citizens. No matter where they looked, someone was starving, dying, crying, or all three. And, Sakura had tried to give some food, but Naruto stopped her after she had given some of her leftover lunch to some kids. The adults had a look he didn't like. He recognized that look. It was a look he used to see in a mirror every day.

They had found a clothing store. It looked just as run-down as any of the other buildings. An elderly woman with an extremely thin face looked at them and gave them a raspy, weak greeting.

They nodded to the woman and began to search the store for new clothes. After searching for a while, they picked out what looked best and decided to buy a few outfits like it. It was black from head to toe. The sleeves reached his arms with a criss-cross of dark cloth decorating them. Naruto wanted dark sleeves so that he could have an easy source of shadow at any time. The torso part of the top was pure black as well, as Naruto wanted, but Sakura insisted that it needed more color, even if the point was for stealth. Because of that, he wore a blue vest with the Uzumaki sign on the back. His bottom part were just normal black ninja pants. He wanted to get some black shoes as well, but Sakura said, with the blue vest, it would look top heavy in color, so she made him wear his old blue shoes to even it out. All in all, it looked darker than his previous outfit.

After they finished clothes shopping, they paid for as much as they could. The woman broke down in tears, thanking them. Both of them looked at each other and smiled. They were happy too that they could help someone.

But, as soon as they walked a few meters from the shop, they heard a crash and screams. They turned around and saw thugs breaking into the store they just left.

'_I knew those looks weren't good. Shit, what should I do?_', Naruto thought. But before he could figure out a plan, Sakura suddenly ran towards the thug with kunai in hand.

'_Shit, that dumb girl! What does she think she can do in this situation?_', Naruto thought. He chased after her, but it was too late. Sakura had reached the thugs who dragged out the old woman, who was covered in bruises. She pointed her weapon at them and shouted, "Stop this immediately!"

The thugs all turned around to face her. One of them, seemingly the leader, walked up to the front of the group. "Hey, little girl, we're a little busy right now, so if you don't mind leaving-"

"No! I won't let you hurt that old woman!", Sakura shouted.

Naruto finally got to Sakura and saw the leader's expression. He looked furious that anybody was opposing him, but then, he suddenly grinned. He nodded in their direction. Sakura pushed it off as insignificant, but Naruto realized that it was a signal in their direction. And since there was no one in between them, that signal was meant for…

He turned around swiftly, but it was too late. Three guys were behind them. Two of them lunged for Naruto, grabbing him and his hands. The other grabbed Sakura and forced her to drop her weapon. The leader laughed and clapped. "Brats should stay home. There are scary people out there, you know."

He waved them off. "You guys can do whatever you want. You two, follow me. Help me carry the cash they dumped into this store." Two of his men grinned, and the three disappeared into the store again. The rest of the group, about 5 men, excluding the ones holding Naruto and Sakura approached them. They began to whisper. Naruto couldn't tell what they were saying, but it was most likely about what to do with them.

He calmed himself down and began to think. There must be a way out of this mess. He can't make any hand signs, so he can't perform any jutsus. Can he get to his weapons? No.

'_Dammit, this is why I don't fight in the front lines._', Naruto thought. '_Okay, calm down. With our ninja headbands, they'll probably be hesitant about killing us since 4 ninjas on a team is the norm. So, if I just think calmly-_'

One of the men spoke up. "Hey, why don't we do that? I mean, when are we going to get fresh meat from this place? All the villagers here are too crafty and hide them when we come. And plus, she does look quite delicious, doesn't she?"

"Delicious?", another man said. "You do know she looks like 12 years old, right?"

The first man shrugged. "Does it really matter? Is it a good idea or not?"

Sakura was unsure about what they were talking about, but Naruto realized it immediately. This sounded like what a certain voice has been saying to him recently. '_Shit, I have to get these guys off me!_'

The men started to crowd around them. Sakura began to panic, not knowing what was going to happen. The thugs then looked at Naruto and said, "What about him?"

One of the other men grinned a disgusting smile. He looked at Sakura and said, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Sakura blushed a little at the word "boyfriend", making the man laugh. He then looked at his fellow thugs and said, "Let's make him watch and kill him afterwards." The other men seemed to like the idea. Sakura, still not knowing what was going on, realized still that they were planning on killing Naruto. She began to struggle, but the man behind her began to crush her, forcing to stop moving.

The two men shoved Naruto to the ground, still holding his hands. Naruto struggled as hard as he could, but he couldn't do anything as the group slowly reached for Sakura.

'_No, no, no, no, NO! What do I do? Get them off, get them off, get them off! Please!_', Naruto thought, thrashing, looking anywhere for help.

Naruto then heard, '_I could help you._'

Naruto closed his eyes to blink, and when he opened his eyes again, he was in the sewers where he met the Kyuubi. But this time, he was in a different room. There was no cage or seal or Kyuubi. In front of him, he saw a silhouette of a throne and someone sitting on it. No matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see the face of the person. But when that person spoke, he realized who it was.

"If you ask for my help, I will give it to you.", he said.

"Why would you want to help me? All you've suggested were horrible things. And even if you could, how could you? My hands are bound", Naruto replied.

"You seem to forget that I did one of those jutsus that you learned without any hand signs to make Sakura like you. I can do that with any of the **Intou** jutsus. And concerning my suggestions, they may have been horrible maybe to you, but I've always suggested things that would increase your happiness. "

"Happiness? You think that murder, rape, and fucking tricking people will bring me happiness? Why the hell does every guy I've met so far seem to agree with you?! Do you really think that I would be happy?!"

"Yes, I do, but although it might be enjoyable to watch that pink-haired girl be brutalized, I decided that it would be in our best interests to save her. And so, if you want my help, just ask.", he said.

Naruto thought about it. Whenever the voice did suggest something, it was always something to do with getting rid of someone he didn't he didn't like or physical pleasure, so he wasn't lying.

"How can I trust you?", Naruto asked.

Naruto couldn't tell, but he knew that the person was grinning. He leaned forward and said, "Because you have no other choice."

The person then went back to his normal position and pointed to his wrist. "You might want to hurry though. Time is slowed here, but not as much as when you are with Kyuubi. If you don't give me an answer in the next 10 seconds, I might be saving a non-virgin."

Naruto's eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth. Then, after a few seconds, he looked at the shadow and said, "No matter what, you do not hurt anybody besides these thugs, got it?"

The silhouette stood up and bowed. "Of course. I wouldn't dream of it.", he said sarcastically.

In the outside world, Sakura had been screaming for help and at Naruto, but nothing came to her rescue. They had already opened her limbs wide. She had realized then what was happening and tried to get away, but it was too late. One of the guys picked up the kunai she dropped, and with a creepy smile and voice, said, "Better not move unless you want to be cut."

Sakura was in tears, and she began to give up all hope for help. But suddenly, she heard a scream from where Naruto was. She looked over, expecting the worst, but Naruto was unharmed.

The scream came from the man holding his hands. He was bleeding from where his hands used to be, spewing blood everywhere. Before the other man could react to his comrade's sudden loss of digits, shadow blades suddenly came out of his own shadow, impaling him and killing him quickly.

The men holding and around Sakura immediately dropped her and assumed a fighting stance. But, instead of attacking them, Naruto looked at Sakura and said, "Sakura-chan, close your eyes for a moment. Trust me, okay?"

Sakura nodded frantically, still in fear. She obeyed him and shut her eyes shut as hard as she could. When Naruto saw that she couldn't see, he lifted his hand and snapped. It looked like he said something at the same time, but no one heard it.

Suddenly, the thug with the kunai looked to his friend next to him and screamed, "You're not going to backstab me! She's mine!" He slammed the blade into the neck of his friend, creating gurgling sounds. The other thugs began to kill each other as well until only one remained. Since he was the only one with a blade, he was, of course, the one who survived.

Naruto grinned. '_**Intou: Warugi**_ (Shadow Style: Distrust)_. Has to be one of my favorite jutsus._' Meanwhile, the real Naruto was horrified at the slaughter that just happened. Even if they deserved it, the voice had so easily broken down any bonds that they shared and made them kill each other. It felt corrupt.

The surviving man then looked at Sakura, eyeing his prize. But, Naruto stopped him. He grinned and, with his head, motioned to the left as if he was saying to go away. When he did, shadow tendrils came out of the man's own shadow and crept up the leg. The man, noticing the feeling, looked down, and when he saw the tendrils, he began to scream and thrash, trying to get them off.

But, it was to no avail. One tendril reached the top. Naruto then said, "**Intou: Habikoru** (Shadow Style: Infestation)". The tendrils began to dig into the man, making him elicit screams louder and higher than any of his previous ones. He kept screaming as the tendrils dug beneath the skin, into his muscles, and began to scrape them, as if trying to scoop them out. The pain was so unbearable that the man collapsed, no longer screaming, but his eyes were wide open, meaning that he was conscious but in so much pain that he couldn't stand anymore.

The tendrils eventually dug through the muscles and reached the bone where they began to dig through it too. The man twitched uncontrollably as the tendrils made a horrifying scraping sound on his bones, sending the vibrations to his head. Eventually, the tendrils in his head reached his brain, and after a few seconds, dug out too much for him to be alive.

Naruto grinned madly. He looked around for an audience, but everyone had retreated to the safe reaches of their homes when the ruckus first started. He made a 'Tsk' sound in frustration and passed over control to the real Naruto.

When the real came back into his body, he realized two things. One: he was standing in a pool of blood. And two: maybe it was because of the voice just being in control, but he felt exhilarated, as if he enjoyed the slaughter. It made him sick that the feeling was there.

"Naruto-kun, can I open my eyes now?", Sakura asked, still trembling in fear.

Naruto looked at the blood everywhere. This was not a safe place for Sakura to open her eyes. It might scar her, if that experience hasn't scarred her already. He came over and picked her up. She flinched at first, but when she realized that it was Naruto, she relaxed in his arms.

"Sorry, Sakura, can you wait for a moment? I'll tell you when you can open your eyes, okay?", Naruto whispered into her ear. Sakura nodded, and Naruto began to walk back to Tazuna's.

Well, that's it, people! Remember to review!

And please, if you did read what I said in the beginning, please tell me if I should change the genre into horror.

Thanks for reading!


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